Former Vice President Mike Pence gave Tucker Carlson the answer he wanted on Jan. 6, eliciting an “amen” from the former Fox News host at a major campaign event in Iowa on Friday.
“All I know for sure, having lived through it at the Capitol, is that it was a tragic day. I've never used the word insurrection, Tucker, over the last two years,” Pence said. “It was a riot that took place that day.”
Interviewed by Carlson onstage at a conservative Christian group’s 2024 candidate forum, Pence either ignored or nodded along to the pundit's debunked conspiracy theories about Jan. 6—a remarkable display for a man who the pro-Trump mob wanted to execute for his refusal to overturn the 2020 election.
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Facing a crowd of future Iowa caucus voters, Pence’s attempt to placate Carlson—who made obscuring the reality of Jan. 6 a key focal point of his show—served as a departure from the former vice president’s past statements on that day and Trump’s role in it.
Later in his talk with Carlson, Pence did acknowledge that Donald Trump put his family’s lives in danger on Jan. 6. But his appearance was mostly defined by laboring to simply not anger anyone with his rhetoric on the Capitol riot—a far cry from the last time he made news in Iowa, when he firmly and clearly responded to false claims from a voter about Jan. 6.
At one point, for instance, Pence gave a meandering answer trying to show appreciation for law enforcement at the Capitol that day.
“I saw firsthand where they’d evacuated us down to the loading dock down below the Senate chamber, police officers that, as the day wore on, were streaming through,” Pence recalled.
“One hundred and fifty police officers that were assaulted, obviously the tragic loss of life ransacking the Capitol that occurred, but I really do believe that a day of tragedy became a triumph of freedom,” he continued. “And I’ll always believe that I did my duty that day under the Constitution of the United States of America, and our institutions held.”
The response didn’t sit well with Carlson.
“When you say the tragic loss of life, who are you referring to?” the pundit responded.
“Well, obviously, Ashleigh Babbitt would come to mind immediately,” Pence said, referring to the Air Force veteran and avid Trump supporter who was shot and killed by police after breaking through a barricade just outside the House chamber.
The exchange over the storming of the Capitol started off about as awkwardly as possible, with Carlson appearing to catch Pence off guard.
“January 6th, what was that?” Carlson asked Pence, trying to drill down on whether he would describe it as “an insurrection,” a rhetorical no-no for virtually any Republican seeking to win votes from the party base.
First, Pence bought himself time. He gave a perfunctory thank you to the event’s host, perennial Iowa caucus kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats, and praised Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is set to sign an anti-abortion law later in the day.
As Pence stalled, Carlson was noticeably cackling away from his microphone as Pence got around to his actual answer.
It wasn’t the only awkward moment: at another point, Pence, a staunch supporter of Ukraine who recently paid a visit to its president, clashed with the rabidly anti-Ukraine Carlson over the Russian invasion.
In conveying his support for Ukraine—which reportedly elicited boos from the crowd—Pence pivoted to a version of his stump speech.
“Tucker, I've heard the routine from you before,” Pence said, when Carlson re-hashed his anti-Ukraine talking points.
“Anybody that says that we can't be the leader of the free world and solve our problems at home has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on earth,” Pence continued. “We can do both. And as President of the United States ... we will also lead the world for freedom, under my administration, I promise you.”
The pair then exchanged a cold handshake and parted ways.
