Thu, April 23, 2026 at 12:48 PM UTC
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Former Vice President Mike Pence opened up about President Donald Trump’s feud with the pope, telling MS Now that some of his onetime boss’s online conduct has been “offensive.”
“I think the president was right to take that one image down,” he told the news outlet of the AI-generated image Trump shared that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure. The image was shared as he criticized Pope Leo XIV for not supporting his war in Iran.
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“I think the pope has every right to express himself in a manner that he believes is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the president has every right to express his view and his agenda for the American people,” Pence said. “If I was advising him — as I did every day for four and a half years — I’d say: Let the pope be the pope, and you be the president.”
Pence also shared his thoughts on Vice President JD Vance, particularly his handling of Ukraine.
“I truly do believe free nations in the world need to continue to give Ukraine what they need to defeat and repel that Russian invasion,” he said. “I was disappointed to hear my successor recently boasting about the fact that we had ended support for Ukraine.”
Pence said he has never spoken with Vance, though he recalled that Vance was critical of the first Trump administration.
“I remember the vice president was a pretty strong critic of our administration during our four years, and showed up a lot more on your network than a lot of other Republicans,” Pence said. “I don’t begrudge him that. I don’t — people change their opinions, and he’s changed his views.”
MS NOW reported that more of Pence’s interview with be released next week.
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