Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday morning defended President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on the media, arguing that Trump is just pushing back against “fabricated” stories and “unfair criticism.”
During an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Pence avoided directly answering the hosts’ questions about Trump’s constant criticisms of the press and repeatedly said that Trump was merely responding to unfair coverage.
When co-host Mika Brzezinski asked Pence if Trump’s war on the media was over, the Vice President replied that Trump has a “willingness to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts.”
Brzezinski then noted that Trump called the press the “enemy of the American people.” In response, Pence began to mention “some of the baseless and fabricated stories that come out and been treated with great attention” before he was cut off by the hosts.
Scarborough asked once more if Trump was moving away from his attacks on the media.
“I think one of the reasons why President Donald Trump was elected is because he’s a fighter. The American people who will fight for their future, who will fight for American jobs, fight to make America strong in the world again, but also he’s willing to make his case and to challenge his detractors when unfair criticisms come his way,” Pence replied.
Pence’s blanket defense of Trump differs from the assurances he offered in February after Trump tweeted that the press was the “enemy of the American people.”
“Rest assured, both the President and I strongly support a free and independent press,” Pence said at the time, though he added that Trump will continue to “call out” the press when he feels they get it wrong.
Watch a clip from Pence’s interview via MSNBC:
