Former Vice President Mike Pence will argue that populism is incompatible with conservatism despite the former’s growing presence in the Republican Party in a major address of his 2024 campaign on Wednesday.
In a speech titled Populism vs. Conservatism: Republicans’ Time for Choosing at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College, Pence will portray himself as the only classical conservative in the Republican primary, campaign advisers indicated on a Tuesday call with reporters.
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While other presidential candidates have attempted to present themselves in a similar light, Pence’s team maintains that his rivals have gravitated toward populist talking points following a seismic shift in party politics under former President Donald Trump.
According to one adviser, Pence will revisit a point he’s made before — that populism is unprincipled and detached from what conservatism has long stood for and that Republicans should be wary of those who espouse its views.
The former vice president is planning to reinforce the importance of the Constitution and its limitations as the core of conservatism and the Republican Party. Specifically, Pence will argue that Republicans are turning away from hallmarks of conservatism when it comes to abortion, the Reagan Doctrine, the national debt, and dealing with Social Security and Medicare.
An adviser explained that the purpose of the remarks, which in part come at the urging of his donors, is to chart two courses for the future of the Republican Party as populism makes its way into 2024 discourse but also in Congress and respected conservative institutions.
Pence will make the case that classical conservatives are bound by a belief in rights coming from a creator and by the limitations of the Constitution. Populists, by contrast, have no qualms with using the power of the government to their benefit, he will say, drawing a comparison to Democrats and those on the Left.
The speech is not directed at any one person, which advisers argued would be a limiting interpretation, though it does appear to be a veiled rebuke of his onetime boss Trump.
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Without naming names, advisers indicated that the remarks can be applied to several 2024 opponents, pointing to policies they have supported.
As to how Pence explains being part of an administration that campaigned on populist rhetoric and policies, they claimed that the Indiana Republican’s influence helped steer Trump toward governing as a conservative, in particular on matters of abortion and rebuilding the military.
