When it comes to Donald Trump’s new Cabinet picks, there’s at least one that his former second-in-command doesn’t approve of: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary.
“If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history,” former Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement touting the “pro-life” record of the first Trump administration.
He cited a statement from Kennedy, which the independent one-time presidential candidate later walked back, saying the government should not set limits on abortion any time during pregnancy.
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While he criticized Trump’s choice of Pence to become secretary of Health and Human Service, Pence did praise the former president’s initial Cabinet selections.
On Friday, however, he pleaded with Republican lawmakers to shoot down Trump’s HHS choice.
“I respectfully urge Senate Republicans to reject this nomination and give the American people a leader who will respect the sanctity of life as secretary of Health and Human Services,” Pence said.
Pence, an evangelical Christian, supported the strictest limits on abortion of any major candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. He backed a federal limit on the procedure at six weeks, before many women are aware they’re pregnant. He also said abortion should be banned even in cases when a pregnancy is not viable.
He ultimately dropped out of the race after just four months, while candidates with more longevity, including Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley took a more moderate stance on abortion rights.
Unlike Haley, Pence never endorsed Trump in 2024 election. The duo’s relationship fell apart on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Pence refused to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election. Trump slammed him on social media while a mob of angry MAGA supporters rioting at the Capitol called for Pence’s execution by hanging.
Pence’s statement on Friday was just one example of the rumblings against Kennedy’s selection among anti-abortion crusaders, traditionally a key part of the Republican base.
“There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary, and of course, we have concerns about him,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser told Semafor on Thursday.
