When asked on Fox News how to “go about healing this country,” Mike Pence began talking about anarchists, antifa and law and order.
In an interview Fox laughably titled, “Pence opens up on healing the country amid the George Floyd unrest,” Pence was asked by host Jesse Watters, “How are we going to go about healing this country?”
Pence’s response should reassure nobody:
PENCE: As the president said, we stand with all the peaceful protesters. And what’s been so troubling is to see the way that the anarchists and criminals and even antifa have infiltrated these protests to riot, to loot, bring violence against individuals and law enforcement personnel.
The first order of business was to restore law and order.
Pence went on to talk about the need to listen, though he didn’t mention listening to the protesters. And if he hadn’t “heard” them already, there’s no reason to hope he will anytime soon.
And, of course, Pence stroked the TV Watcher in Chief’s ego, which I’m fairly certain does nothing to heal the country, either.
PENCE: Going forward, we believe now it’s time for us to have ears to hear, to listen carefully. I met with African American leaders here at the White House. I’ll be traveling to a church nearby to listen to African American leaders and also to listen to business owners whose livelihoods were impacted by some of the rioting and looting.
But I think it’s important that we listen first and then President Trump will do like he always does and that is continue to lead on behalf of the security and the prosperity of every American. On that Election Night, President Trump made it clear that his aspiration was to be president of all of the American people.
And when it comes to African Americans, I couldn’t be more proud to be vice president to a president who oversaw the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for African Americans, expanded opportunity zones to cities all across the nation by the thousands. A hundred billion dollars of investment going into our inner cities in areas lacking jobs and opportunities.
But as we go forward, it’s incumbent upon all of us to listen with open hearts about ways that we can address the long-term challenges that minority communities and African Americans in our cities have faced, whether that be educational challenges, whether it be economic challenges or health care and we’re determined to do just that.
Trump had a golden opportunity to listen the day he decided to visit St. John’s Church after it been vandalized. Instead, Trump had the peaceful protesters tear gassed so he could have his photo op there.
Watters never questioned a word. He brought up the walk to the church and gushingly described it as “a powerful symbol for the country.”
You can watch the interview below, from the June 6, 2020 Watters World. The section about healing the country begins at :46.