Pence slams Trump for 'walking away from America's leadership in the world' over debate snub

Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the field of GOP presidential hopefuls, and some of his closest competitors -- who are still double digits behind in the polls -- are attempting to score points with voters who've soured on the former president.

One of those is former Vice President Mike Pence, according to Breitbart.

Trump's former sidekick, who fell far out of acceptance with a large swath of pro-Trump voters, slammed his former boss for "walking away from America's leadership in the world, our role as the arsenal of democracy."

On Sunday, during an interview with ABC’s This Week, Pence tried to shame the former president over his insistence that he will not attend the debate, or any future GOP primary debates.

"I’m actually still hoping he shows up, Jon, to get on that plane, Trump Force One and head up and head out on that stage. I think every one of us would’ve qualified for that debate stage ought to be on the stage, be willing to square off, answer the tough questions, and also draw a bright line contrast," Pence said.

.@Mike_Pence thinks some @GOP "increasingly are walking away from [the] time-honored conservative agenda." What do you think? https://t.co/koIXhVX3HK

— Lawrence W. Wilson (@RealLWilson) August 15, 2023

Pence once again put distance between himself and Trump following the end of their partnership.

"My differences with the former president go far beyond that tragic day in January two and a half years ago. As I’ve said many times, I see the president and others on the stage walking away from America’s leadership in the world, our role as the arsenal of democracy."

Pence added, "I see the president literally walking away from a commitment of fiscal responsibility and reform."

The former vice president, a staunch, unapologetic pro-life Republican candidate, broached the abortion issue.

"I see not only the former president but others on the stage trying to relegate the question of abortion to a states’ only issue being a long champion for the right to life and in the Oval Office if I’m president of the United States."

To say the least, and predictably, Pence has struggled to gain traction in national and state polling. His falling out with the massive MAGA voting base is showing up clearly in the numbers.

RCP NATIONAL POLLING AVERAGE:

Trump: 55.5 (+41)
DeSantis: 14.5
Ramaswamy: 7.2
Pence: 5.2
Haley: 3.3
Scott: 2.7
Christie: 2.6

(7/31/23 — 8/18)

— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) August 21, 2023

The first GOP debate, set for Wednesday, could be the deal breaker for several in the GOP field, including Pence, depending on how it goes.