Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that President Donald Trump’s remarks made during a speech last week in Saudi Arabia were a “disservice” to veterans.
Host Kristen Welker said, “Let me ask you about President Trump’s first official overseas trip to the Middle East this week, where he met with the newly installed president of Syria, he dropped all of the sanctions against the country despite Israel’s opposition. The trip included stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE but did not stop in Israel. Sir, what message do you think President Trump’s trip sent to Israel overall?”
Pence said, “First off, I think it was a very successful trip for the American economy. The president secured a financial commitment in all three countries, including a historic contract for purchasing Boeing aircraft. It’ll really support American jobs.”
He added, “But, Kristen, I’ve never been a fan of American presidents criticizing America on foreign soil. And to have the president in Saudi Arabia questioning America’s global war on terror, and describing it as nation-building and interventionist, I thought was a disservice to generations of Americans who wore the uniform and who took the fight to our enemy, you know, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. And particularly giving that speech in Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers hailed from, not including Osama bin Laden, I thought was unfortunate.”
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