Mike Pence: US will soon get deserving government

‘I'm very confident that someday soon we're going to have
government as good as our people again’


Paddy O’Connell speaks to former US Vice President Mike Pence
about President Trump’s second term in office. Pence, whose
political career began a quarter of a century ago, first rose to
international prominence when he was selected by Donald Trump to
be his running mate for the 2016 US Presidential election.


When the insurgent billionaire shocked the world by defeating
Hillary Clinton, Pence found himself at the centre of an
administration beset by multiple controversies from the very
beginning, including having to navigate impeachment proceedings
against his boss.


The pair, however, weren’t always aligned in their worldviews,
and the relationship became increasingly frayed behind closed
doors. Formal ties were severed when Pence resisted efforts by
Trump to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden in 2020.


After leaving the post of Vice-President, Pence remained active
in politics in the years that followed, eventually running for
the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential election.
This was, of course, won by his old boss - but Pence refused to
endorse him the second time around.


Despite the turbulent four years in office, he remains proud of
what he and Trump achieved in that time. However, he can now
speak more freely about his former boss, who is back in the White
House for a second term.


His experience at the very top of American politics also gives
him unique insight into events both at home and abroad. In this
wide-ranging interview, he discusses many pressing issues
including vaccine scepticism, global tariffs and the Russian
invasion of Ukraine.


Thank you to the Newsnight team for their help in making this
programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people
shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews
from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays
and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as
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your podcasts.


Presenter: Paddy O’Connell Producers: Ben Cooper, Samuel Kerr,
Pascale Puthod and Liz Rawlings Editor: Justine Lang


Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the
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(Image: Mike Pence. Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images)