Former Vice President Pence on F-35 Jets, MBS Visit, China Relations

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00:00What do you make of that deepening alliance between the United States and the Middle East?

00:04You would think that these are two places that would be in competition when it comes

00:07to the oil markets, when it comes to defense.

00:10We're seeing the opposite.

00:11What do you think?

00:12Well, I think it's important to remember the very first days of our administration.

00:17Back in 2017, President Trump's first international trip was to a conference of Arab nations in

00:26Riyadh.

00:27From very early on, we sensed that it was important to begin, not just with Saudi Arabia,

00:34but to reach out to Arab countries, even while we stood without apology for our most cherished

00:42ally, Israel.

00:43I mean, we moved the American embassy to Jerusalem.

00:46We recognized the Golan Heights.

00:48Many said that would be inconsistent with peace in the region.

00:51But what they forgot was that President Trump, in our four years together, aggressively reached

00:57out to Arab nations.

00:59At the same time, we isolated Iran, which is a leading state sponsor of terrorism in the

01:04region.

01:05And at the end of our four years, signed the Abraham Accords.

01:10And my hope is, as MBS comes to the White House today, that in addition to the other

01:15issues that I'm sure will be discussed from the standpoint of AI and energy and others, is

01:22I am hopeful the President will engage the Crown Prince very directly on the need for Saudi

01:30Arabia to lead other nations into an expansion of the Abraham Accords.

01:35Well, to your point, that's a key pillar of one of the successes in the first administration

01:39under Donald Trump.

01:41You mentioned that key piece of the kind of withstanding support for Israel.

01:45Donald Trump talking earlier this week about actually selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi

01:50Arabia.

01:51As you know, this has been a contentious issue, especially among several of the Middle Eastern

01:54allies there.

01:56Do you think this is going to have ripple effects?

01:57If you sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, are more going to be knocking, more other nations

02:02going to be knocking at America's door?

02:04Is that a good thing?

02:05Well, the F-35 is our most advanced aircraft, stealth technology.

02:12And I'm very confident that as the President gives consideration to the sale of F-35s to

02:21Saudi Arabia or any other country that will put the interests of America first.

02:29It's extremely important in any sale that we ensure that that technology does not make

02:36its way into China's hands or into the hands of other adversarial nations.

02:41And so I have concerns about the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia or any nation that could not

02:48assure the United States that that technology and the great advancements that we've made

02:57with the F-35 don't fall into the hands of nations that are hostile to our interests.

03:01You're not alone in those concerns.

03:03Have you seen this before in your time as Vice President, the sale of this high technology,

03:08one of America's finest, to countries that maybe don't rise to the ranks of some of the

03:12other closer allies?

03:13Well, I think one of the things that our administration did in our four years was recognize that China

03:18is the greatest economic and strategic threat facing the United States.

03:24And we we imposed historic tariffs on China.

03:29We brought China to the table for the phase one trade deal, which you may remember from

03:33January of 2020.

03:35Um, but I have concerns that with the administration allowing tick tock to continue to operate, despite

03:42the fact that Congress and the previous administration passed a law saying it must be sold or banned

03:48within a set period of time.

03:49Uh, and the recent, uh, arrangement to allow Nvidia to sell, um, significant chip technology to China,

03:58just simply in exchange for, uh, uh, a revenue sharing agreement with the United States.

04:03I think it's absolutely essential, uh, that we, uh, continue to put, uh, the security of

04:10the United States and our ability to, uh, defend our interests and our treaty allies across the

04:16region as China continues its military provocations and, uh, its extraordinary investments in its

04:22own military technology.

04:23And that would be my concern with any, uh, any, uh, weapons sale to any country around the world.

04:29Well, Vice President, let's continue our tour around the world and talk there about China and

04:32the relationship, the deepening relationship, it seems with not only Russia, but India as well.

04:36Earlier this year, we had images of Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping arm in arm

04:43at the Shanghai cooperation organization.

04:44I was in Washington at the time and they really caused shockwaves in terms of this axis that you

04:50are seeing on the other side of the ocean, on the other side of the Pacific.

04:54Do you feel like those images as they were interpreted at the time showed that the United States is

05:00losing its dominance on the world stage?

05:02Well, I, I think there's no question that, uh, nature abhors a vacuum and that's equally

05:08true on the world stage.

05:09Um, and, um, the previous administration in, in, in so many ways projected weakness on the world stage,

05:15the disastrous withdrawal, uh, from Afghanistan. The Biden administration actually, um, after inflation,

05:22actually cut military spending, uh, in the United States. And, um, uh, particularly after Afghanistan,

05:29we saw Russia launch its brutal and unprovoked invasion, uh, into Ukraine. Uh, we saw, um, you know,

05:36Hamas surge across the borders of Gaza, um, with the most brutal assault on the Jewish people,

05:41uh, since the Holocaust. Uh, and we've seen China continue its, its military provocations

05:48across the Asia Pacific. When, when, when we were in office, we spoke about what the new

05:53Trump administration speaks about, and that is peace through strength. And I think the relationship

05:58between the United States and our allies across the free world has never been more important.

06:04Um, and trade is a part of that. I, I would hasten to add that, uh, I'm, I believe in free trade

06:10with free nations, uh, and, uh, the president's, uh, unilateral, uh, tariffs imposed on friend

06:16and foe alike, uh, I think have been contrary to the long-term interest and prosperity of the West.

06:22We ought to be working always to lower trade barriers and lower, lower, uh, uh, non-tariff

06:28barriers and subsidies. That's what we did during our four years. We use tariffs and the threat of

06:34tariffs to negotiate to open markets. But what we're seeing in this new Trump administration,

06:40um, is the, the use of broad-based tariffs that I think ultimately harm

06:44U.S. consumers, harm growth, but also more profoundly, um, uh, they really threaten to fray

06:51longstanding relationships, uh, in the free world at just the time that we need them stronger than

06:58ever before. Well, vice president, they're also being used as a mechanism, not only to encourage

07:02free trade, but also to add pressure on countries like India, like Brazil, that are perhaps helping and

07:08fuel some fueling some of the goals in China and Russia as well, especially when it comes to

07:13the United States' relationship in defending or at least helping support the fight for, uh, or the war,

07:20the Ukrainians' efforts in, and against the war from Russia. Talk to us a little bit about that

07:25relationship and that dynamic when it comes to the European Union and the UK as well. Historically,

07:30Europe and the United States have been arm in arm, but when it has come to this conflict,

07:34at least in the second Trump administration, we do seem to be seeing wobbles in that steadfast

07:40defense. Donald Trump has on the campaign trail and of course in this year promised and assured

07:46the global community there would not only be a ceasefire, but a lasting agreement based on his

07:51friendship with Vladimir Putin. Why has that not come to fruition in your minds? Well, I, well, first off,

07:57I, uh, I've been a steadfast supporter, uh, of US military assistance, uh, to Ukraine. Um, I mean,

08:05Russia's, uh, unprovoked invasion has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, uh, and, uh, America's the

08:13leader of the free world. And it's absolutely essential that we continue to uphold the principle

08:18that we will not allow authoritarian regimes to redraw international lines by force. A century ago,

08:24we looked the other way, uh, as authoritarian regimes marched across Europe, uh, uh, uh, the, uh,

08:31the world inherited, uh, the, the whirlwind, uh, and the tragedy of World War II. And so I,

08:37I think it's important the United States continue to stay firm. I'm pleased that the Trump administration

08:43has gotten to a better place after, as you said, uh, stops and starts, uh, on support, uh, for Ukraine.

08:49Uh, but, uh, I do think the time has come for the United States Senate, uh, to put strong secondary

08:57sanctions on President Trump's desk, sanctions on countries that are purchasing energy from Russia,

09:04that are literally through those purchases, they're fueling the Russian war machine. Uh, I, I called on

09:10that, uh, this summer. Uh, and frankly, I was encouraged, uh, that just a few days ago, President Trump,

09:16uh, said that, uh, uh, uh, he was, uh, okay, uh, with the secondary sanctions bill. Senator Lindsey

09:23Graham authored. I think Vladimir Putin will not stop until he is stopped. Yeah. Uh, the Ukrainian

09:30military has fought bravely. The European community with strong leadership from the UK and America, uh,

09:38have, have provided support. But at the end of the day, I think isolating, uh, Russia economically

09:44with those secondary sanctions could well be the key to, uh, moving us toward a peaceful settlement.

09:51Yeah. And, uh, a just and lasting peace.

09:54Vice President, you talk about these secondary sanctions. Europe,

09:57the EU has only recently put sanctions on, on Russia. There's still parts of the EU that are

10:01importing that kind of energy. Does America need Europe to hold Russia accountable? Can America go at

10:08it alone? That's the, that's the narrative that Donald Trump has taken when it comes to his negotiations

10:13at the Munich security conference at NATO. Can America do it alone? Well, you know,

10:18in my first trip to Europe in 2017, as vice president, uh, I said, America first does not

10:23mean America alone. It simply means America embracing, uh, our first obligations at home.

10:30And secondly, embracing our role as leader of the free world. Uh, and I, I believe during our four

10:35years, uh, we actually strengthened our alliances, uh, across NATO before we left office at the end of

10:42four years. Uh, our NATO allies were investing $140 billion in our common defense that had not been

10:48invested before. Yeah. More than two thirds were now living up to the commitment we've made to our

10:53common defense. I think the ability the European community has had to support a Ukraine, uh, against

10:59this Russian invasion was greatly enhanced by those years that we strengthened a NATO. But, um, but look

11:06at, at, at a time that we see authoritarian regimes rising, uh, and, uh, increasing their provocations,

11:12whether it be, be Russia or whether it be China or, uh, or Iran, uh, as they, uh, they languish, uh,

11:20quietly after, uh, after their, uh, the, uh, America taking down their nuclear program and, and, uh,

11:28Israel taking the fight directly to them. Um, uh, I think now more than ever, we, we need to bring

11:34together the free world to say that we're going to stand for our principles, defend our interests,

11:39and, uh, we'll continue to call for that.

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