politics in manchester. [applause] mr. pence: good afternoon everyone. i want to welcome you. my name is neil the vet -- vivek. [applause] we have a special guest today. mike pence is a former member of the house, governor of india anna, and the 48 -- governor of

indiana, and the 48th vice president of the united states. it is good to have your. [applause] mr. pence: thank you. i want to thank the new hampshire ends -- new hampshirans. it is great to be back. i am mike pence, i am from indiana, and i am running to be the next president of the united states of america. thank you all for coming out this afternoon. i cannot think of a better place to reflect on the future of our country and the republican party. i appreciate you all making time. particularly the students who i hope are not skipping class to be here with us. i stand before you asked republican candidate for president of the united states because i believe this country

has had a lot of trouble. joe biden has week -- has weakened america at home and abroad and i think all of us have the experience and obligation to try. we also have the obligation to speak plainly about the challenges our nation has faced. we need new leadership in the white house and i believe we new leadership in the republican party. but now more than ever, i believe we must forge that new leadership in the republican party, ground it on the conservative principles that have defined our for more than 50. the truth is, become to a time for choosing. i have always believed in the greatness of america that will never apologize for the our best days are ahead.

and having faith in our nation and our people does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges american families are faced. the disastrous leaving from afghanistan has emboldened people around the world. our wars in the middle east continues as china continues messing with the pacific. mortgages at 23 year high. two out of three families is letting paycheck-to-paycheck. you biden administration's -- the biden administration >> were on energy has driven up everything for american families. the flood of illegal immigration at our southern border, facilitated by the open border policies of the biden administration, has created

human suffering on both sides of the border. an avalanche of people and narcotics, like fentanyl, that are claiming lives. every week, in new hampshire and across the nation, our cities have descended into lawlessness. our schools teach children to hate their own history. and even many of our public schools teach our kids that boys can become girls and girls can become boys curing at the has promised to unite our people -- and the president's promise to unite our people has not happened. he looks in our eyes and tells us that bidenomics is working but the american people know better. the biting agenda

the people see what the president won't or perhaps can't after 50 years in public office. skyhigh grocery prices, across gasoline and utilities and overrun border and heartbreaking obituaries in local papers marking empty chairs at dinner tables. the american people are fed up they're ready for new leadership and the republican party must provide the american people with that new leadership in 2024. the question of the hour then is not just who but what will we offer the american people a year from this november.

so i came here to anselm college to simply say from my heart that republican voters face a choice in this state and in every state around the nation as these primaries unfold and i believe that choice will determine the fate of our party and the course of our nation for years to come so today i asked my fellow republicans this in the days to come will we be the party of conservatism or will we follow the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles the future of this movement in

this party belongs to one or the other not both that's because the fundamental divide between these two factions is unbridgeable history teaches that societies with more freedom and less government flourish that's why we have a brilliant system of checks and balances divisions of authority co-equal branches of government enshrined in our constitution and sovereign state governments under our system of federalism conservatives understand that in order to advance an agenda on behalf of the american people we must work through the system the political home of those who believe in limited government and individual liberty who keep faith with our constitution is the republican party now for decades conservatism's ideological rival has been liberalism an ideology that has long found favor in the democratic party the radical left has now taken the

democratic party into the abyss of progressive socialism and the guise of their woke agenda where conservatives view government power with great suspicion progressives wielded eagerly and pursuit of their political goals especially their massive avalanche of spending and mandates known as the green new deal. and when their goals are obstructed or delayed liberal progressives undermine our institutions and are prepared to disregard the constitution and even the laws of this country. just this week senate democrats actually attacked the supreme court of the united states again demanding an investigation into justice samuel alito despite the fact that three liberal justices on the court have engaged in the exact same pattern of behavior that he has.

the attacks on our institutions with which they differ continues you know if democrats didn't have double standards they'd have no standards at all. but today another strain of this ideology challenges conservatism not from the democratic party but from within for control of the republican party. it takes the form of what's known as populism rather than progressivism but make no mistake about it those ideologies are fellow travelers on the same road to ruin. now populist movements have long been a part of the fabric of american

politics. they've most often been led by democrats like william jennings brian huey long and more recently bernie sanders and other leftists who share the party's progressivism. but today a populist movement is rising in the republican party the growing faction would substitute our faith in limited government and traditional values with an agenda stitched together by little else and personal grievances and performative outrage. the republican populists would the republican populace would abandon american leadership on the world stage embracing a posture of appeasement in the face of rising threats to freedom. republican populace would blatantly erode our constitutional norms a leading candidate for the republican nomination last year called for the quote termination of all rules regulations and articles even

those found in the constitution close quote. while these imitators in this primary have demonstrated a willingness to brandish government power to impose their will on opponents and even after a historic victory for life republican populace would relegate the cause of protecting the unborn to the states much in the way during another time in the life of our nation those who sought to preserve a great evil tried to leave that question to the states alone. populist republicans would have us trade in our time-honored principles for passing public opinion. that's not a trade i'm willing to make and nor should my fellow conservatives here in new hampshire or anywhere in america. you know there's already a party that embraces appeasement abroad. there's already a party that would ignore our national debt. there's already a party that

wants to marginalize the right to life. so i stand before you today and i say with great humility i am the most qualified the most consistent and the most proven conservative in this race and i believe for the sake of our party and our country that we must advance a strong national defense limited government and traditional values and those principles must guide our party and our nation as much today as they have for the past 50 years. [applause] should the new populism of the right seize and guide our party the republican party we've long known will cease to exist and the fate of american freedom would be in doubt. look i understand the frustration that's led to populist movements on the left and the right. government institutions have failed us broken our trust and evaded

accountability over and over. globalization a rising knowledge economy increasing automation have created an incredible income an inequality of opportunity americans. among americans. entire regions of the country including places back home in indiana i've been left behind. while no part of america has been spared the deadly epidemic addiction in this country. and too often americans who hold traditional views of family and faith are mocked in our popular culture. or even by their leaders for how they worship how they live how make a living. raising concerns about unchecked illegal immigration is often deemed racist a reluctance to redefine gender or use the appropriate pronouns according to some is supposedly evidence of hatred

in one's heart and intolerance. you know i've stood on the streets of once prosperous midwestern towns in my home state where entire factories were shuttered when jobs were shipped overseas. i've sat in town halls next to a grieving parents and across kitchen tables to hear about the extraordinary loss and suffering from opioid abuse and addiction and in defense of religious liberty i've been a target of the woke brigades myself the populist wing of our party is right in its efforts to address these concerns. but their means of doing so are wrong. rejecting free market principles the principles of limited government will not create new prosperity or revive suffering communities. increasing economic freedom will bring america back. in using government edicts to

cancel those we disagree with will not protect traditional values. making our case to the american people and removing left-wing radicals from office will. you know i believe that being conservative means standing your ground holding true to your principles. not just doing what's easier what's popular in any given moment we're offering simple solutions to difficult challenges the american people are facing. the american people are facing serious challenges today and they require serious solutions and leadership fitted to the times. you know with the exception of the former president no other candidate in this race knows better or takes more pride in the accomplishments the trump

pence administration than i do. i was there. together we rebuild our military we revived our economy we achieved energy independence for the first time in 75 years. we secured our border and gave the american people a new beginning for the right to life. we got government out of the way we governed as conservatives and the american people thrived in those days before then worse in a century pandemic struck our nation. it's really no mystery why we accomplished these things when donald trump ran for president in 2016 he promised to govern as a conservative and together we did. but it's important for republicans to know that he and his imitators in this republican primary make no such promise today. it seems like they forget that

we succeeded because of a conservative agenda not in spite of it. i mean the truth is donald trump along with his imitators often sound like an echo of the progressives they seek to replace and a choice for the american people. for instance they argue that we can only end our crises at home by abandoning our allies abroad. like progressives republican populists insist government should dictate how private businesses operate. matter of fact the governor of florida still justifies using the power of the state to punish a corporation for taking a political sand that he disagreed with. and one of the president's populist proteges actually advocated a 59 percent inheritance tax in his book nation of victims last year. saying that americans should not become wealthy quote just by having rich parents.

that's liberal redistributionist thinking. not conservatism. and maybe worst of all republican populists deny the coming debt crisis facing our children and grandchildren. today we have a national debt the size of our nation's economy for the first time since world war ii. and just this week the biden administration confirmed at the deficit this year will double from one trillion dollars to two trillion dollars almost overnight. now the biggest drivers of government spending now and in the future our new deal in great society programs entitlements social security and medicare. but on that debt crisis president joe biden's policy is insolvency he won't even talk about common sense and

compassionate reforms to the entitlements that threaten the very vitality of the economy that these young people will inherit. and frankly donald trump's position on entitlement reform is identical to joe biden's. one other candidate for the republican nomination actually said the presidents can't do everything so if he became president he would leave to the next president challenge to reform entitlements. well i got a news flash for anybody running for president i've been in the west wing i've been in the hallway i've been in the room presidents actually have to do everything especially provided leadership to meet the crises facing the american people. the truth is these policies at home and

abroad are not conservatism. it's republicanism that priorities prioritizes power over principle. now anyone who knows a little bit about my background knows that i i started out in politics as a democrat but when i heard the voice of the 40th president of the united states i joined the reagan revolution and i never looked back. i came to the republican party because of ronald reagan. and i remember when i was roughly the age of many of the students gathered here marveling as these economic policies defeated inflation. his predecessor jimmy carter had told us that uh we were a nation in malaise that we had to accept a new normal of slow economic growth and high inflation. reagan came in and said why not dream great dreams after all

we're americans and they cut taxes rolled back regulations promoted economic freedom in america came roaring back. the longest peacetime expansion since the end of world war ii i marveled at the way his policy of peace through strength broke the soviet union eventually. and strengthen our military as never before. now some republican candidates for the nomination and the population our party maintained that reagan is no longer relevant imitation but they confuse inspiration with imitation. you know over four decades have passed since reagan took office three since he left this earth the great contest of his time and ours are different in his day the cold war between the old soviet union and the united states define global politics.

now the cold war is long over. during his presidency our primary rival today communist china was economically impoverished and militarily unsophisticated. we live in a very different time. conservatives need not replicate every single reagan policy or strategy or should we but we can emulate his belief in freedom and economic liberty. we can emulate his willingness to stand up to evil regimes on the world stage and stand alongside the friends of freedom across the world. and we can emulate his dignified and civil way of carrying himself as president to meet today's challenges. ronald reagan himself said with with regard to his own ideas quote i wasn't a great communicator but i communicated great things and they didn't spring full bloom

from my brow that came from the heart of a great nation. the american idea's ronald reagan expressed were not his they were grounded in the american founding. fought for and defended through the long and tumultuous history of american freedom. leaders pass into history but first principles endure the politics of convenience driven by the passing moment however are soon to fail and be forgotten. reagan used beliefs that long predated him to meet the threats of his own times and so should we. he took inspiration from the likes of calvin coolidge and dwight eisenhower and the founder of the republican party abraham lincoln

as he brought america back. the truth is the republican party did not begin on a golden escalator in 2015. long before that day it was forged and defended and defined as the conservative party in america and so it should ever be. i actually met president ronald reagan when i was a first-time candidate for congress. it was his last year in office i was 29 years old it would be more than a decade before i would arrive in the congress of the united states but i was there along with my young bride for a photo op with 40th president. i'll never forget the encounter. i walked into the blue room and the president was seated there the cameras were all clicking when i told my young wife before i said the campaign wanted me to say something political to him

but i wanted to say something from my heart. karen did what she always does she patted me on the arm and just said just tell them what's on your heart. so i sat down you can look it up on your phone right now you can see the picture i was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. i sat down in that chair looked into the president's eyes fell for all the world like i was talking to mount rushmore. the president said to me how's the campaign going and i said it's going fine mr president but i've got something i'd like to say to you. he said well go ahead. and i said i just want to thank you for everything you've done for this country and everything you've done to restore my generation's confidence in america again. and i'll always believe that in that moment the 40th president of the united states almost blushed like he'd

never heard it before. and he said well mike that's a very nice thing of you to say. [laughter] i can almost still hear it but it was moments later that made the most impression on me president walked into the east room to greet the spouses that were along with the candidates. and apparently some of the candidates had said to him the same thing i had said thanked him for what he'd done in eight years it transformed the american economy and had set into motion forces that in just a few short years would bring down soviet communism and see the berlin wall collapsed and destroyed. he stood up at a makeshift podium and he said you know many of you have thanked me for what i did for this country but then ronald reagan said i don't think i did anything for this country. he said i think the american people just decided to right the ship and i was just the captain they

put on the bridge when they did it. ronald reagan believed in the american people and so do i. believe that more than anything else at the heart of our party and our movement conservatives believe in the american people who believe in economic freedom and limited government. we trust the american people to guide the course of their own lives. we trust them to know best how to teach their children how to spend their earnings they run their businesses and when we act on their behalf they trust us to do so through the system created by our founding fathers and defended by every generation that's worn the uniform of the united states. and because we trust the

american people we we know we can be honest with you but the threats we face today and the solutions that we need to bring to them. i submit to you if we abandon that trust and that confidence in the american people if we cease to be champions of our constitution and all the principles enshrined in it our party's relevancy will be confined to the history books. it may live on in some populist fashion but then it will truly be in a cruel twist republican in name only. for the sake of our party for the sake of our country we cannot allow this to happen. if we're to defeat joe biden and turn america around the republican party must be the party of limited government free enterprise fiscal responsibility and traditional moral values and i'll be carrying that message across the granite state

and all across america in the days ahead. so with labor day behind us and the campaign for the republican nomination in full swing we've come to a republican time for choosing. will we embrace the traditional conservative agenda that's led our party and our nation to victory and prosperity now for more than half a century or will we choose to go down the path of populism and decline. in the book of jeremiah agreeds quote stand at the crossroads and look ask for the ancient paths ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls. men and women of new hampshire i believe

we stand at a crossroads not only in the life of our nation but in the life of the republican party. but i have faith i have faith that republican voters will once again choose the good way the way of conservative values and limited government that americans have fought for and defended throughout our history. i believe we will remain the conservative party but it falls to all of you in this first in the nation state to see to it. but i'm confident if we renew our faith in our first principles renew our faith in each other and keep faith in the author and finisher of our faith and freedom i know it will always be morning in america.

we will restore our party we will defeat joe biden and we will bring america to greater heights than you could possibly imagine. so let the debate begin over the future of the republican party and america and to my fellow conservatives let's get to work. thank you all god bless and god bless america . [applause]

[indiscernible conversations]

thank you guys. where you from? >> connecticut.

thank you. >> hey guys. i can't sign money. defamation of currency. i can sign your shirt. are you sure? get a sharpie. my mom wanted me to get a signature. appreciate it. thank you very much. how are you? maggie, good to know you. thanks for coming. i appreciate you all coming out. can you send the back of my shirt? i got this.

[laughter] it'll work. can i get a picture with you? do you need a picture? my dad actually protected you once. camera? video. are you ready? nice to meet you. where you from? >> virginia. >> we lived in arlington for 12 years. >> i love arlington. my kids all what do your town. what school did you go to? >> i am homeschooled. >> even better.

give your family my best. bring it in, good to see you. anybody need a picture? come on let's do it. thank you so much. >> thank you for coming. >> i hope so, sir. >> great to meet you. >> can you sign this? >> i can't sign currency, but let me sign the card. it's just something i do. i'm not the treasury secretary. >> don't worry, i won't tell. >> that's actually a legitimate card when i was there. what's your name? >> robert. >> robert, good to have you. thank you for taking time today, robert.

come on. thank you. i hope my words resonated. [indiscernible conversations] i'm doing great, how are you doing? thank you. >> we really appreciate you. what's your name? good to see you. thank you for coming today. hi guys. >> nice to meet you. >> thank you for coming. >> i had to be here.

[laughter] do you want a picture? thank you so much. i got it. can we take a selfie instead? [laughter] thank you. i was like wow. >> are you ready? >> you got it? appreciate you coming very much. gentlemen, thanks again. appreciate you being here. thank you. how are