Former Vice President Mike Pence is on a book tour following the release of his new book, "What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience."
Not only is he hoping to retain some influence with conservatives, but one of his first stops was CNN, hardly a neutral venue for a message aimed at the right, where he detailed what he sees as a concerning rise in policy preferences within what he called the “populist right.” These included the nationalization of business, broad tariff policy, price controls, and even outside voices questioning interventionist foreign policy in both Ukraine and Israel.
He said that while the Trump administration has gotten much right, he has grave concerns about the future direction of conservatism and believes he can help sound the alarm.
Mike Pence: "A new threat to conservatism has emerged from within our movement. I call it the populist Right. They've had some success prevailing. The stops and starts on Ukraine, voices on the outside that have even questioned our support for Israel..." pic.twitter.com/rk1D9Ltl2r
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) June 4, 2026
"A new threat to conservatism has emerged from within our movement. I call it the populist right," Pence said on Thursday. "It essentially advances policies of protectionism, isolationism, marginalizing traditional values."
"And while they've had some success prevailing on the second Trump administration, not all. I think the second Trump administration has gotten a lot right, secured the border, extended all those Trump tax cuts, stood up to Iran, stood with Israel," he said. "But when you look at the stops and starts on Ukraine by this administration, when you look at voices on the outside that have even questioned our support for Israel, and the economic policies, Kate, nationalization of businesses, broad-based tariffs against friend and foe alike, price controls..."
"I just wanted to write a book that was about what conservatives believe in the hopes that in the midterms and in 2028, we return our party to those founding principles."
This comes as Pence has also gone so far as to create his own think tank, Advancing American Freedom, which seeks to promote and defend “the successful policies of recent years that yielded unprecedented prosperity at home and restored America’s strength abroad, while elevating traditional American values.” However, it has quickly emerged as somewhat antithetical to groups like the Heritage Foundation, the current titan among conservative think tanks.
However, his relevance in politics continues to fade as conservatives have grown tired of the old Republican Party, one that stood on high and mighty on principle and yet regularly lost its elections.
Now, a balance must be struck: certain conservative principles should not be compromised, but overwhelmingly, President Trump has not been the one to create that imbalance.
The future of conservatism after Trump remains an open question, as figures ranging from politicians to commentators move to position themselves as the next thought leaders within MAGA.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member