CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview with Vice-President Mike Pence

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

TAPPER: Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is to the brink and then back.

You might be feeling a little whiplash this week, after President Trump reversed course on two major decisions, one domestic, one international.

On Saturday, the president announced he was delaying mass deportation raids planned for today, after threatening all week that millions of undocumented immigrants would be removed, just hours before those raids on migrant families were set to begin.

And just minutes ago, he followed up -- quote -- "I want to give the Democrats every last chance to quickly negotiate simple changes to asylum and loopholes. Probably won't happen, but worth a try. Two weeks and big deportation begins."

The president's domestic reversal comes only days after the president seemed to use a similar strategy with Iran, which "New York Times" journalist Peter Baker described as -- quote -- "speak loudly and carry a small stick."

Again, using Twitter, President Trump said he had stopped a military strike with just minutes to launch, saying he did not think the potential human casualties inflicted by such a strike was proportional to the downing of a U.S. drone.

The president announced -- quote -- "Major additional sanctions will be imposed on Iran Monday."

And sources confirmed the U.S. had launched a cyber attack against Iran last week, after Iran attacked ships in the Gulf of Oman.

Joining me now to discuss this and much more is the vice president of the United States of America, Mike Pence.

Vice President Pence, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Jake. Good to be with you.

TAPPER: So, over the weekend, the Iranians said they had reached out to the U.S. through the Swiss.

Have you received that message? Has there been any dialogue with Iran, either directly or through an intermediary, since the president called off the strikes?

PENCE: Well, the president's message to Iran is very clear, that we're not going to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and we're not going to stand by while Iran continues to sow malign influence across the region.

That is why, tomorrow, the president will announce additional sanctions against Iran. And, frankly, as we sit here today, since the end of the Iran nuclear deal, now a year ago, and additional sanctions that the United States is imposing, Iran's economy is literally crumbling.

And over the last two months, we have seen them lashing out even more than they usually do. Remember, Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism...

TAPPER: Sure.

PENCE: ... in the world. They have sown malign influence, even in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal, in places like Yemen and elsewhere.

TAPPER: Yes, so they're lashing out.

PENCE: This president drew an end to that.

We have isolated them economically and diplomatically. And they have lashed out, the tanker attack a week ago, the attack on an American UAV last week.

TAPPER: The drone, yes.

PENCE: The president has made it clear that we're not going to tolerate any threats against American forces, American interests, America's allies in the region. And we will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

TAPPER: So, they're lashing out.

But my question was, are they reaching out too? Did you get that message from the Swiss that the Iranians delivered?

PENCE: I'm not aware of any outreach from the Iranians.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: I know there was communication. Prime Minister Abe was actually in Tehran not long ago.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: And he encouraged them, as President Trump has done publicly, to engage the United States.

The president of the United States has made it clear we're prepared to talk to Iran without preconditions.

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: But Iran needs to understand that we will never allow them to obtain a nuclear weapon.

TAPPER: A nuclear weapon.

PENCE: And we will not allow them to continue to sow violence across this region.

TAPPER: Well, let me ask you a question about...

PENCE: All -- in the midst of that...

TAPPER: Yes. PENCE: ... the actions the president took, the actions that we will

announce yesterday (sic), the president demonstrated the restraint that the American people, I know, admire and are grateful for when, as right up to the run-up of a military attack, the president continued to evaluate that decision and concluded that...

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: ... what was -- what had been initiated and was about to be launched was not proportionate.

[09:05:03]

TAPPER: Would be disproportionate, exactly.

PENCE: But -- but Iran should not mistake restraint for a lack of resolve.

All options remain on the table.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: The United States is going to defend our troops and America's interests in the region.

TAPPER: But your assertion that the United States -- that Iran should not mistake that for lack of resolve reminds me of what Bolton said not long ago, where he said, nobody should mistake this as weakness.

And it makes me wonder if you are concerned it will be perceived that way.

Before the strike, Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted -- quote -- "I have found that inaction in the face of evil and provocation ultimately has its own cost. In some instances, failing to act can prove to be the most dangerous choice of all."

Now, you initially supported the military strike against Iran. Do you agree that there is a risk that Iran will get the wrong message from the president's restraint, as you put it?

PENCE: Well, let -- let me be clear.

I have said before that weakness arouses evil. But this president has rebuilt our military, to the point that the United States' military forces in the region and around the world are stronger than ever before.

In fact, in the wake of the tanker attacks just a week ago, the president announced that we were moving another 1,000 troops into the region. And I expect Iran and our allies in the region have no doubt about the military capabilities of the United States of America. I believe that's probably...

TAPPER: But do you worry that they worry that the president isn't willing to pull the trigger? Is that a concern at all?

PENCE: Well, I think the president was encouraged that Iran actually announced that they were tracking a manned American surveillance aircraft on Friday and did not fire on it, even though they believed it was in their airspace.

Now, all of that convinces us...

TAPPER: Was it in their airspace?

PENCE: No, of course not.

All of that gives us some sense that -- that, in Iran, that they understand the military capabilities of the United States of America.

But this is -- this is a president who is always going to count the costs. And I was there through the course of the deliberations. Over the last week, in the wake of the tanker attacks, the president was talking about options. In the wake of the attack on the unmanned UAV, there were extensive discussions.

But, at the end of the day, the president looked at the potential loss of human life, relative to an unmanned American drone that had been shot down, and concluded that that was not proportionate. And that was...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: But you supported, though, right? You supported the strike initially.

PENCE: I -- well, first off, Jake, I never talk about my discussions with the president of the United States.

TAPPER: OK.

But it has been reported that you, Bolton, Pompeo all supported the strike.

PENCE: I think all -- all of the national security team around this president supported providing him the broadest range of options, including the use of military force.

But the president is the one that makes the decision. And, as he indicated, very late in the process, he was given an estimate that just simply was unacceptable to him.

TAPPER: A hundred and fifty.

PENCE: And this is a president, I think -- I hope that this is also a message to the Iranian people that this is a president who hopes for the best for the people of Iran.

It was the United States back in 2009, in the midst of the Green Revolution, that you remember, Jake, that...

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: ... we stood with and spoke on behalf of the people of Iran...

TAPPER: The people of Iran, absolutely.

PENCE: ... the establishment of freedom and democracy in Iran.

We saw protests a year ago all across this country.

TAPPER: OK, I want to ask about something you just said.

PENCE: We want the best for the people of Iran.

But we will stand up to the ayatollahs. We will stand up to their provocations. And Iran should never doubt the capabilities of the armed forces of the United States.

TAPPER: So, you said that President Trump got that information late in the process.

And that is confusing to me, and it's confusing to a defense official I spoke to who said, any time military options are presented to the president, the potential casualty assessment, the battle assessment, is one of the first things that the president would be told.

Now, President Trump said yesterday that he got -- quote -- "very odd numbers" early on in terms of the assessment, the casualty assessment.

What does that mean? And why would the president have only gotten the casualty numbers, as you put it, very late in the process?

PENCE: Well, look, what -- what I can tell you, without -- without talking about the details of those deliberations...

TAPPER: Mm-hmm.

PENCE: ... is that the president was provided with -- with casualty assessments and a whole range of information...

TAPPER: But only at the end, or at the beginning?

PENCE: ... relative to the military strikes that the president -- really throughout.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: But, as the president indicated, late in the process, there were more specific projections given to him relative to the targets that he was prepared to use force against.

And he concluded -- he concluded that it was not a proportionate response to shooting down an unmanned American aircraft.

TAPPER: OK. I want to ask...

PENCE: And also -- you also remember the president... TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: The president also had doubts as to whether or not the downing of our unmanned aircraft was actually authorized at the highest levels.

[09:10:03]

PENCE: I can't speak about intelligence that the United States has with regard to that, but you heard the president reflect openly.

TAPPER: That it might have been a rogue general.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: We -- we're -- we're not convinced that it was authorized at the highest levels.

TAPPER: Hmm.

PENCE: The president put a regard for human life first. He also put on the table that we want better for the people of Iran.

But Iran needs to understand that the United States of America will never allow them to obtain a usable nuclear weapon. This is the leading state sponsor of terrorism.

TAPPER: Mm-hmm.

PENCE: And the truth that the world has seen over the last 40 years is that the ayatollahs in Iran have no regard for human life. They sow terrorism around the region, around the world.

TAPPER: Would you sit down...

PENCE: And it is unacceptable that they would ever obtain a nuclear weapon as a threat to us, to our ally Israel or to the wider world.

TAPPER: Would the United States sit down with the Iranians with no preconditions to talk about continuing diplomatic relations and ending the Iranian nuclear weapons program?

PENCE: No, I think the president has made it very clear that he's more than prepared...

TAPPER: With no preconditions?

PENCE: ... to have discussions with no preconditions with the Iranians.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: But the -- the one precondition is...

TAPPER: Well, that is a precondition.

PENCE: ... they need to give up the nuclear weapons.

TAPPER: Well, that is a precondition. That is a precondition, though.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: We actually hear Iran beginning to talk about within days...

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: ... that they're going to begin to enrich uranium beyond the limitations of the JCPOA. None of that is acceptable.

The president often says that people need to understand, this is not about oil.

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: The attack on the tankers in the straits of a week ago, the United States, we get less than 10 percent of our oil from the Persian Gulf these days...

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: ... because, frankly, we're the -- we're one of the leading exporters of energy in the world. But...

TAPPER: I want to get to immigration.

PENCE: But China, India, other countries depend on that region. This is about the safety and security of the United States...

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: ... Israel, our allies around the world. And that's why we will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

And we will continue to bring economic, diplomatic pressure to bear, and make it very clear that the United States military will defend our personnel...

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: ... we will defend our interests in the region.

TAPPER: So let's talk about immigration, because President Trump is up and tweeting about that.

Family deportations were set to begin in major U.S. cities today.

PENCE: Right.

TAPPER: President Trump tweeted yesterday that he would delay them -- quote -- "to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the asylum and loophole problems at the southern border." But what exactly does the president want to see in a deal that would prevent these deportations?

PENCE: Jake, we have a crisis on our southern border.

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: I -- I was down there a few short months ago. I was at a detention center.

We are on track this year to have more than a million people come into our country illegally. And for the first time ever, the vast majority of them are -- are people that are bringing minor children...

TAPPER: Children, yes.

PENCE: ... with them.

TAPPER: And I want to talk about that.

PENCE: There are people that are exploiting what are well-known loopholes in our laws that say, if you arrive with a minor, that you can only be detained for 20 days, and, after which, you're essentially released into the country.

TAPPER: Right, because of the Flores decision.

PENCE: And you know that 90-plus percent of the people that apply for asylum in this country are denied.

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: They actually don't have a claim for asylum.

And so the -- so the president took steps earlier this year, declared a national emergency. We're building a wall. We will have 400 miles built.

TAPPER: But what does he want with the asylum laws? What -- what does he want changed with the asylum laws?

PENCE: What we want -- what we want, to end the days where people believe they can come into the country, make a claim of asylum from oppression or deprivation or violence in Central America or elsewhere, and then be released into the country on their own recognizance, only to -- only to vanish into the nation with -- with now this -- the president's efforts...

TAPPER: Well, most of them do show up to their hearings.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: ... at enforcing our laws, or that -- that 90 percent of the people never show up for their hearing in the months ahead.

We have got to close the loopholes. (CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: I don't think that that number is accurate about 90 percent not showing up. I think a majority do show up.

I mean, they all should show up. It should be 100 percent show up.

PENCE: Well, it is actually not true.

TAPPER: Well, let me ask you a question.

PENCE: People with -- people with a hearing that is scheduled six months, a year, 18 months later, the overwhelming majority, plus-90 percent, don't show up.

And people in Central America know this. I have been down to those countries known as the Northern Triangle.

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: I have talked to the leaders of those countries on many occasions. Human traffickers are taking $5,000 cash per person to entice people to take vulnerable children on the long and dangerous journey north.

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: People are being hurt on both sides of the border.

TAPPER: Let's talk about these kids. I want to talk about these kids.

PENCE: But -- well, and that is why -- but that is why the president has continued to call on Congress...

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: He said, let's give them another two weeks before we -- we engage in the deportation efforts.

TAPPER: And let's pass -- let's pass the legislation for the -- for the humanitarian aid.

[09:15:03]

PENCE: But let's reform our asylum laws, and let's get additional humanitarian support, so we can deal with the influx at the border.

TAPPER: Right.

And that money is going through Congress right now.

But let me ask you. Over the last week, legal advocates reported some horrific conditions for children at the border.

At the same time that that was going on, the Trump administration was actually arguing in court this week that the Trump administration should not be obligated to give soap or toothbrushes or showers to children detained at the border.

Take a listen to this clip of a Trump administration lawyer before a judge.

PENCE: Mm-hmm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE A. WALLACE TASHIMA, NINTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS: If you don't have a toothbrush, if you don't have soap, if you don't have a blanket, it is not safe and sanitary.

Wouldn't everybody agree to that? Do you agree with that?

SARAH FABIAN, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ATTORNEY: Well, I think it's -- I think those are -- there's fair reason to find that those things may be part of safe and sanitary...

TASHIMA: Not may be, are a part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Aren't toothbrushes and blanket and medicine, basic conditions for kids, aren't they a part of how the United States of America, the Trump administration treats children?

PENCE: Well, of course they are, Jake.

TAPPER: Well, the lawyer was arguing the opposite.

PENCE: Well, I -- I can't -- I can't speak to what that lawyer was saying.

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: It's one of the reasons we asked for more bed space...

TAPPER: Right, for this supplemental money, yes.

PENCE: ... when we were negotiating with Congress.

No, when we were negotiating during the government shutdown.

TAPPER: Oh, OK.

PENCE: And Democrats in Congress refused to expand the bed space and the capacity for us to detain people...

TAPPER: But this is going on right now.

PENCE: ... at our borders.

It is one of the reasons why we continue to call on Congress to give DHS, Customs and Border Protection additional resources at the border. But, again...

TAPPER: This is the wealthiest nation in the world. We have money to give toothpaste and soap and blankets to these kids in this facility in El Paso County. Right now, we do.

PENCE: Well, of course -- of course we do.

TAPPER: So why aren't we?

PENCE: My point is -- my point is, it's all a part of the appropriations process.

Congress needs to provide additional support to deal with the crisis at our southern border.

But we have to get to the root causes. We've got to close the loopholes that human traffickers as we speak are using to entice vulnerable families to take the long and dangerous journey north.

TAPPER: Yes. And I'm not -- I'm not taking issue with any of that. I'm talking about the kids. Just listen to this. This is...

PENCE: But it's also the reason -- but, Jake -- Jake, it is also the reason why the president a few short weeks ago...

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: ... said that Mexico needed to step up...

TAPPER: And they did. And they are.

PENCE: ... or he was going to begin -- he was going to begin to impose 5 percent tariffs, escalating from there.

TAPPER: Right.

PENCE: I was in those negotiations on day one with the secretary of state.

And now, as we speak, Mexico is sending 6,000 National Guard to their southern...

TAPPER: To the border, right, exactly, to their border, their southern border.

PENCE: And for the first time ever, they have agreed to allow all asylum seekers from Central America to remain in Mexico while they're being processed.

TAPPER: But I'm talking about the kids -- I'm talking about the kids our custody right now. Just listen to this.

This is "The New Yorker" citing a team of lawyers who visited a border facility.

PENCE: Jake, Jake, here's the hard fact.

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: As I said -- I will answer your question.

TAPPER: I just want to this quote.

"The conditions the lawyers were found were shocking. Flu and lice outbreaks were going untreated. Children were filthy, sleeping on cold floors, taking care of each other because of the lack of attention from guards."

I know you. You're a father. You're a man of faith. You can't approve of that.

PENCE: Well, I -- I -- no -- no American -- no American should approve of this mass influx of people coming across our border. It is overwhelming our system at the southern border.

TAPPER: But how about we're treating these children?

PENCE: Look, I -- as I said to you, I was at the detention center in Nogales just a few short months ago. It is a heartbreaking scene.

These are people who are being exploited by human traffickers, who charge them $5,000 a person to entice them to take their vulnerable children...

TAPPER: But now these kids are in our custody.

PENCE: ... and take the long and dangerous journey north.

But -- so Congress has to act.

I mean, I -- I was about to say to you, look, now, with Mexico what is doing on their southern border, and with -- with their agreement now to -- to have 100 percent of asylum seekers from Central America remain in Mexico, I mean, the truth is, in the last 10 days, Mexico has done more to secure our southern border than Democrats in Congress have done in the last 10 years.

And that has to change.

TAPPER: OK. And I'm not disputing what you're saying there.

But I would say that I'm talking about the kids on our southern border right now.

PENCE: Yes.

TAPPER: And you have the power right now to go back to the White House and say, we need to make sure that these kids -- first of all, that there are people taking care of them, so it is not 12-year-olds taking care of 3-year-olds, and, second of all, that they have soap, that they have toothbrushes, that they have combs, that we're taking care so they don't all get the flu. PENCE: Jake...

TAPPER: You know that.

PENCE: Jake, look, I -- I have been down there.

Head down there. Go look around. Our Customs and Border Protection personnel are dedicated men and women. They are doing their absolute level best every day. They literally -- I -- I heard of the number of hospital runs that they make on any given day, because people who take that long and dangerous journey north are often assaulted along the way. Young women are sexually assaulted along the way.

[09:20:00]

It is horrific what is happening at our border. And we know how to fix it. President Trump has said we could fix this in 15 minutes, if the Democrats will sit down with us, close the loopholes, provide the resources we need to deal with the influx.

But if we close the loopholes, and send a clear message to our allies in the region, whether it is Mexico, or Guatemala, or other nations, that the days of this porous border are over, we will end this crisis of illegal immigration and the flow at our border.

And that, along with border security, will end this crisis...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: I think Democrats would argue that they want to do a deal with President Trump, but he hasn't showed any inclination.

But I do -- just first of all, I want to say one thing.

PENCE: I don't know where that would come from. This president -- we have -- we have...

TAPPER: You said a second ago that 90 percent of the people who get a -- who get detained don't show up for their court hearings.

PENCE: Jake...

TAPPER: So, the Justice Department data says it is 60 percent to 70 percent.

But I want to ask you a question about climate change.

The director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, said in a January report on worldwide threats that the climate emergency is -- quote -- "likely to fuel competition for resources, economic distress and social discontent."

It is a priority for the DNI, Coats.

The EPA this week, however, rolled back part of President Obama's Clean Power Plan, letting states set their own limit for coal power plants emissions.

Do you believe think human-induced climate emergency is a threat to the United States?

PENCE: Well, what -- what I will tell you is that we will always follow the science on that in this administration.

TAPPER: The science says it is.

PENCE: But what -- but what we -- but what we won't do -- and the Clean Power Plan was all about that -- was hamstringing energy in this country, raising the cost of utility rates for working families across this country...

TAPPER: But is it a threat?

PENCE: ... while other nations like China and India absolutely do nothing or make illusory promises decades down the road to deal with it.

You know, the truth of the matter is, with the advent of natural gas, with the natural gas explosion that is developing...

TAPPER: Yes.

PENCE: ... with clean coal technology, we're seeing -- we're seeing a significant reduction in carbon emissions all across this country.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: But is what people are calling a climate emergency, is it a threat? Do you think it is a threat, manmade climate emergency is a threat?

PENCE: I think the answer to is going to be based upon the science.

TAPPER: Well, the science says yes.

PENCE: Well...

TAPPER: I'm asking you what you think.

PENCE: There is many in the science that...

TAPPER: The science community in your own administration, at NOAA...

PENCE: I got it.

TAPPER: ... at the DNI, they all say it is a threat.

PENCE: I got it. Look, what the president...

TAPPER: But you won't, for some reason.

PENCE: ... has said, what we have said is that we're not going to raise utility rates. Remember what President Obama said?

TAPPER: But it is not a threat?

PENCE: He said -- he said -- he had his climate change plan. He said it is necessarily going to cause utility rates to skyrocket, and that would force us into these green technologies.

Now you have got Democrats all running for president that are running on a Green New Deal that would break this economy.

TAPPER: OK. So you don't think it is a threat, is all I'm saying? You don't think it is a threat?

PENCE: I think we're making great progress reducing carbon emissions, America has the cleanest air and water in the world. We will continue to use market forces...

TAPPER: That is not true. We don't have the cleanest air and water in the world.

We don't.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: According to...

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: OK.

TAPPER: You get back to me with some statistics that show it.

PENCE: But we're making -- we're making progress on reducing carbon emissions.

We're doing it through technology, through natural gas, through continuing to support, as our administration is...

TAPPER: You just rolled back all these clean -- clean coal...

PENCE: Turn back to nuclear energy, clean energy.

The answer, though, is not to raise the utility rates of millions of utility rate payers across the country.

TAPPER: You and the president just launched your reelection bid on Tuesday for 2020.

PENCE: We did.

TAPPER: Let me ask you.

If foreigners, if Russia, if China offers your campaign information on your Democratic opponents, should people in the campaign accept it or should they call the FBI?

PENCE: Well, I think we're very clear that we will call the FBI...

TAPPER: You will call the FBI? OK.

PENCE: ... on this. Look...

TAPPER: Well, the president wasn't clear about it, but you are.

PENCE: Well, no, I -- I take issue with that. He said he would do both.

He said he would hear what they said, and that he would...

TAPPER: Well, that is not calling...

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: That is not calling the FBI.

PENCE: Well, no, he said he would call the FBI.

TAPPER: He said maybe he would.

PENCE: And he made clear in subsequent comments that he would call the FBI.

Look, we -- this -- this administration, I'm very proud of what we have done to confront foreign interference in our elections. We had a good midterm election. I can tell you that the FBI...

TAPPER: You lost the House.

PENCE: ... worked very aggressively -- well...

(LAUGHTER)

PENCE: ... I'm talking about...

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Oh, you're talking about the interference. Got it.

PENCE: Yes. Yes.

TAPPER: Got it.

PENCE: I think we're going to win it back.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: But we -- the FBI worked with state election officials all around the country.

But we're going to continue to lean into this to protect the integrity of our elections. But let me say, we had a great night at that kickoff...

TAPPER: You had a fun time in Florida, yes.

PENCE: ... on Tuesday night in Orlando, yes, about 20,000 people, millions watching around the country.

TAPPER: A lot of people -- yes, a lot of big fans there.

Last question for you, sir.

President Trump was asked recently about the next presidential election in 2024. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS: If Mike Pence runs for president in 2024, does he have your automatic endorsement?

TRUMP: Well, it is far too -- look, I love Mike. We're running again. But you're talking about a long time. So you can't put me in that position. But I certainly would give it very strong consideration.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

[09:25:08]

TAPPER: What was your reaction when the president said that?

(LAUGHTER)

PENCE: You know, it's the greatest honor of my life to serve as vice president to this president. And I'm incredibly honored that he asked me to run with him again in 2020.

And what I can tell you is, that statement reflects and I reflect the fact that the only election he and I are focused on is 2020.

I mean, when you look at the progress that we've made in this country, six million new jobs created, manufacturing jobs, 500,000 across this country, we have rebuilt our military, America is standing tall in the world again, more than 114 conservatives confirmed to our federal courts, two Supreme Court justices.

But we have made great progress in building a wall on our southern border. We will have 400 miles of wall done by next year. Criminal justice reform, right to try.

TAPPER: OK.

PENCE: We have made incredible progress.

And I can't wait to get out on the campaign trail and tell that story all across this country and help to see this president reelected in 2020. And that is all we're thinking about. TAPPER: Well, we're very honored that you came here this morning.

Don't let it be another two-and-a-half years until the next time we get to talk to you.

It is always a pleasure.

And please send our best to your family, especially, of course, your son, who is in the U.S. Marines. We appreciate his service. Thank you very much.

PENCE: Thank you, Jake. Good to be with you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source