Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence slammed his fellow GOP candidates accusing them of “signaling retreat” following Hamas’ brutal and deadly surprise attack that killed more than 1,200 civilians, the New York Post reported.
While appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning, the former Vice President blamed President Biden’s weakness for emboldening “enemies of freedom around the world.”
However, Pence reserved his harshest criticism for his Republican challengers, suggesting that “leading voices” in the GOP, like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy are “signaling retreat from America’s role as leader of the free world.”
Pence said he believes that the most important issue is whether America will “once again stand without apology” as “the arsenal of democracy” and “leader of the free world.”
He said if he becomes president, he will “lead from American strength.”
Pence also blasted President Biden for America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his appeasement of Iran, saying that Biden is emboldening the “enemies of freedom around the world.”
Pence suggested that Biden’s appeasement of Iran, including lifting sanctions, paying billions for hostages, and seeking to bring back the Iran nuclear deal, “set the conditions” for the deadly surprise attack by Hamas.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Donald Trump, still holding a grudge against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for calling to congratulate Joe Biden five days after the 2020 election, attacked the Israeli prime minister over last weekend’s attack by Hamas.
Speaking to supporters in Florida Wednesday night, Trump claimed that Netanyahu “let us down” before the US killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. He also praised the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah as “very smart” while describing Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as a “jerk.”
When asked to comment on the former president’s remarks, Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi told Channel 13 in Israel that it was “shameful” for a former American president to abet propaganda while disseminating things “that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens,” the Times of Israel reported.
