I went to lincoln dinner last night. [indiscernible] nice to see you. Thank you. You are making good use of the money. I am not going to waste it, that is a promise. Okay. [indiscernible] do you want a picture . We will keep coming back. We are looking for every single boat i can get single vote i can get. Cspan, campaign 2020 four coverage is your front row seat to the president ial election. Speech is an event, to make up your own mind. Campaign 2024 on t spent on the cspan network, cspan now, or free video mobile app or anytime online at cspan. Org. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. Today, a discussion with veterans of the female tactical platoon of afghanistan. They are trained by the u. S. Military to participate in more than 2000 High Profile Missions against the taliban. After the fall of kabul, members of the platoon were evacuated to the United States. Hosted by the women Foreign Policy group, watch live at 6 30 eastern on cspan, cspan now, our free mobe videapp and online at cspan. Org. 2024 republican president ial candidate and former Vice President mike pence was the keynote speaker at the Clinton County gop 2023 hog roast. After delivering his stump speech, the former Vice President took questions from reporters and took pictures with some of those in attendance. This event was part of his 15th visit to i wasnt declaring himself a candidate for the 2024 republican president ial this event was part of his 15th visit to iowa declaring himself as a candidate for the 2024 president ial nomination. [applause] how about another applause for the chairman . Wow. 1 [applause] it is wonderful to be in Clinton County. I am mike pence and i am a former elected official. I am a clinton, aikins a click christian, a conservative and a republican in that order and i am running for president of United States of america. I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome. We are delighted to be here in Clinton County. Thank you for the hospitality and we have a wonderful day here today. I want to thank Clinton County chair tim striland. Thank you for your passionate and youre almost just kaufman your almost jeff kaufman quality. There is nothing short about her. She is not shorter energy. She is not short on courage and fighting for that conservative values of the people of iowa. Join me in thinking thanking this extraordinarily congresswoman. [applause] i know it is a long time ago, i was governor at the state of indiana and i had a Lieutenant Governor who was a great leader of education in the state and the two of them became fast friends. She said, you have to meet this Lieutenant Governor from iowa and i met her and it took me 15 have to be honest with you. You see the way she stepped forward and mr. Pence with leadt is transforming education, this economy and is leading the way on the right to life. When you give one more round of applause to governor kim reynolds. [applause] finally, i always wait to introduce the highest ranking official last. She is a marine corps mother. Former Christian School teacher. When i met her, she had a motorcycle and a handgun. It was love at first sight. She is a mother of three, the grandmother of three. She is quite frankly the best second lady the United States of america has ever had. Would you join me in thinking my incredible wife of 38 years, karen pence. Thank you so much for loving her. [applause] we are just delighted to be with you. In the 45 minutes i have been given followed by q a. I am going to be real brief here because it has been a great night. I thank you for the hospitality. I would like to share with you a couple of things. Why we are burning and why running and why i believe we are a year and a half away from a great comeback and republicans are going to lead the way. You with me . A lot of people know us as Vice President of the United States. I am incredibly proud of the trumppence administration. We rebuild our military, we revived our economy and became a Net Energy Exporter for the first time in 75 years. We appointed three conservatives to our federal courts at every level, including justice neil gorsuch, Justice Brett kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney barrett. I am just saying. Those three justices have literally transformed the court, durable conservative majority. Three justices and a new majority that gave america a new beginning for the right to life. Beyond our record in washington dc, you may not know as i mentioned i was governor of the state of indiana. The Hoosier State is a lot like iowa. We demonstrated their you can balance budgets and cut taxes. Before that, i was a conservative leader in the congress of the United States. I served for 12 years in the house of representatives. It seemed longer. I was there during republican majorities and during democratic majorities. I was the leader of the House Republican conference chair the first time we retire nancy pelosi and i want to thank you for helping retire nancy pelosi once and for all. Thank you, congresswoman. She is gone. I have been a congressman, governor and your Vice President. In this time in the life of the nation, it is that experience that brings us before this podium tonight. The reason i am running is because i think this country is in trouble. Karen and i feel like we have been blessed with opportunities to serve. Kind of like Sherman Kaufman said so eloquently a moment ago. When you look at the disastrous policies of the Biden Administration and democrats in washington dc, this is time for all of us to do all we can do and decide right here and right now that joe biden will never be reelected as president of the United States. We are going to have a new republican leadership, from the congress. I have to tell you. I have known joe biden a long time. Some people wonder if he has lost his step. I expect maybe he has. But i want to total all of you. Joe biden has always been that wrong. Ive known him. Left wing, liberal democrat. This new parting washington dc this new Democratic Party in washington dc, this is the radical left. Joe biden has weakened this country at home and abroad. The spending in the first months and this administration unleashed the worst inflation in 40 years. On day one, they lost a war on energy. This last wednesday, we saw gasoline prices spiked the worst they have in over a year. I do not even have to tell all of you, but we know back home in indiana. On the first day of the Biden Administration when he stopped construction of the border wall and worked to shut down all of our policies, joe biden has unleashed the worst border crisis in american history. It is not only 5 Million People flowing across the border. In the largest example of Human Trafficking in human history, all driven by the cartels. Beyond that, the spiritual fentanyl flowing across our borders. Maybe worst of all, that disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan. My father was in the United States army. He served in combat in korea. Came home with metals on his chest. He has been gone a long time. We reach the 70 anniversary of the armistice in korea. Can we hear it for all of our korean war veterans and all the veterans in the room . Thank you for serving. Thank you for protecting our freedom. [applause] my dad was in the army, karens dad was in the air force. But our lives did not take us into uniform. But i am proud to say one of my unworthy soninlaws is a lieutenant in the navy. Our son is a captain in the marine corps, he is a Fighter Pilot and he is headed to top gun next month. I have to tell you, when i saw that disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan, it just broke my heart. I promise you and never would have happened if the trumppence administration had still been in office. It dishonored the service and sacrifice of men and women in uniform who defended our freedom in that nation over the last 20 years. Nothing of that incompetent and disastrous withdrawal will ever diminish the honor that is owed to all the men and women who served and defended america in afghanistan these last 20 years. God bless you all. [applause] so he has weakened america at home and abroad. I stand before you today with the experience i described to you. To tell you that we could not sit this one out. I have served in the congress of the United States, i know how congress works. I served in an administration that demonstrated the kind of results you can have when you have strong republican leadership. I know as Ronald Reagan reminded us that the states created the federal government. The federal government did not create the states. We have to get america back to a vigorous federalism and empower our states to be the laboratories of innovation and reform our founders intended. Are you with me . [applause] i am running because i truly do believe that this is no time for onthejob training. I say it with Great Respect to those of you who will make this decision at the iowa caucus on january 5 team. The left is more organized than any time in our lifetime. They are going to come and they are going to come hard. The complex problems demand that we put our best forward. I submit to you humbly we are prepared to serve. I would never tell the people of iowa how to go about the business of selecting a republican nominee. I am from indiana. We just watch you do it every four years. And you do it so well. Jeff was kind enough to say. Iowa should always be first in the nation because the heartland should shape American Leadership in this country. [applause] we would be honored to earn your support. Karen and i will be traveling to all 99 counties. This is actually our 15th visit to iowa, which is what jeff kaufman calls a good start. I have not had the Breakfast Pizza at pizza ranch yet, but it is on the menu. Or the Breakfast Pizza at caseys. But we are going to be around and we will see you. If we provide leadership, that reflects the best of this country and experience and an unwavering commitment to the conservative agenda, the American People will rally to us. I believe it with all my heart. That is my last point. It is easy to be a little down these days. Traveling around the country the last two years, people come up and say do you think we can ever get it all back . I was wave my hand and say we will get it all back and then some. Because i have faith. I have faith in the American People. For all my time is your Vice President and my time in public before that, my opinion of government went down, but my opinion of the American People went up every single day. When i came to the state as your Vice President , karen and i visited communities that suffered hurricanes, while and tornadoes. We also visited communities who were demised by violence victimized by violence. Seeing people in the most difficult times, you learn who they really are. I have always been inspired that when you go to a site of a Natural Disaster or where lives have been lost, within a day, the only thing you cannot find in the area is a parking space because people come from everywhere. We went into communities. People loaded up the minivan with food and bottles of water and drove to the front yard or the firm of somebody they never met before just to help put their lives back together. When i was a congressman, we had a flood in my hometown. 10,000 homes were destroyed. I ran into a man at the shelter. He looked a little high mileage. He might have had a few that day. He said, sir, i am doing all right. They actually told me i might be back in my house next week. He said right after the floodwater went away, i had this been full of people pull into my driveway, and they said we are from the Baptist Church in indiana and we are here to rebuild your house. He looked at me and he said, but i told them, i am not baptist. [laughter] he said they told me we do not care. The reason ive confidence begins with the fact i believe in the American People. No matter how dark it gets, the American People are the most freedom loving, generous, caring, decent, innovative and idealistic people the world has ever known. We just have to have government as good as our people again. Are you with me . [applause] we are going to have it. I have the kind of faith i know was right at home here in Clinton County. I saw it this morning at the river church. America is an extraordinary place. No other nation was founded on the idea that our rights do not come from a sovereign, they do not come from the barrel of a gun, they do not come from a charter. We founded this country on the belief that we are endowed by our creator of certain inalienable rights. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happyness. I truly do believe if we turn our hearts back to him, to the one who has been with the American People through challenging times, we can claim that ancient verse. For i know the plans i have for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you a hope and a future. If we renew our faith in him and we believe in each other and we give the American People as good as our people once again, i believe in this one nation, under god, the best days for this great nation are yet to come. Thank you very much. Thank you, Clinton County. Thank you, iowa. God bless you all. [applause] mr. Pence we will be back again soon. Next week is in new hampshire, but we could not be more encouraged by the response we are getting, the enthusiasm from crowds. I believe the people of iowa are once again going to take the role they have as a first in the nation state and keep an open mind. My view is we need new leadership in the white house, but we also need new leadership in the republican. We are determined to take our case and our record all across the state. We are well known, but we are not known well. The opportunity to be in places like this, to step into a church service, really gives people an opportunity to know more about us, about my long record in the conservative movement. My years of service not just in the white house, but as a governor and a congressman. To be able to deliver the message that we believe jill biden has weakened this country at home and abroad. This is no time for onthejob training. We will continue to take our experience to the people of iowa. We will be back to indiana tonight, but even more convinced that the people of iowa are ready for new leadership in the republican party. Reporter this being at your 15th time here, how has your travel been . Mr. Pence it feels so much like home, it really does, to be honest with you. Indiana is also a place where we make things, we grow things, we are about family, faith and community. Iowa is just the same. Anywhere we go, we feel like we can pick up a conversation with anybody just like when we are back home in indiana. We are very encouraged. It reinforces for me why it is so important that iowa remain a first in the nation state. The way the people of iowa take time to listen and discern and understand both the mind and the heart of candidates is a Great Service to the nation. I think democrats are making a terrible mistake skipping iowa and trying to skip new hampshire. It is communities like here in iowa that candidates have to express their vision and answer all the questions you should have answered before someone stands for the highest office in the land. Reporter i wanted to ask about the inflation plan you release. Can i get your reaction to some of the backlash Florida Governor ron desantis is receiving over the new education guidelines over slavery . Mr. Pence slavery was evil and nothing good ever came from slavery. I have a hard time believing that florida intended to say anything other than that. I would encourage the governor to take another look at it. I am a member of the republican party. That is the party of lincoln. We went through a bloody civil war. Wes still we still bear the scars in many ways in this country, but we have made incredible progress toward a more perfect union. As i said, nothing good ever came from slavery, but ive a hard time believing the scholars in florida intended that. Reporter and your inflation plan . Mr. Pence everywhere i go, i know there are all kinds of topics the media likes to talk about, but the people are talking about the economy. People are struggling in the middle of the worst inflation in 40 years. Inflation is up 16. 6 since the day we left office. Eggs cost 50 more today than the day we left the white house. And all kinds of groceries and goods. It is all a result of the policies of this administration. I was pleased to be the first republican candidate to come out with a plan to combat inflation. I want to see us get the Federal Reserve back to just making s