Former Vice President Mike Pence had several critiques of President Donald Trump's foreign relations, from accepting gifts to imposing tariffs.
Trump is fresh from his first visit to the Middle East since entering Oval Office the second time. His tour included Saudi Arabia and Qatar and resulted in billions of dollars invested into the U.S. While Pence, 65, called it "a very successful trip for the American economy," he aired some criticisms of Trump's foreign relations strategy during an interview from his home in Indiana on NBC News's Meet the Press Sunday.
"First, we have to remember who Qatar is," Pence said. "They support Hamas, they supported Al-Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States. So the very idea that we would accept an Air Force One from Qatar, I think it’s inconsistent with our security, with our intelligence needs. My hope is the president reconsiders it. I think if Qatar wants to make a gift to the United States, they ought to take that $400 million and plow it into infrastructure on the military base."
Host Kristen Welker pushed Pence, and asked whether he thought the president "should turn down this plane" that was gifted by Qatar, which Trump accepted, raising ethical and constitutional concerns.
"I think he should," Pence said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
Pence went on to backtrack his previous support of tariffs. Back in 2018, the Trump-Pence administration imposed tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods, which affected prices for things like tires and washing machines. During this most recent interview that aired Sunday, Pence suggested the tariffs are often passed "along in higher prices to consumers."
"Why didn’t you say, [tariffs are] a tax during the first administration?" Welker asked.
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"Well, I probably did in the hallways, but the president gets to make that decision," Pence said. "When you're vice president of the United States, my view was always this: I'd favor the president with the full range of my opinion in private. ... I fully supported his approach on tariffs, but I was never confused about who pays the tariffs."
Pence's comments come after Walmart announced a price hike in its products as a result of tariffs. Trump instead suggested that Walmart “EAT THE TARIFFS,” as it made a larger profit than expected last year.