Vice President Mike Pence used a series of meetings with troops over the weekend to declare his pride that America entered no new wars during President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I’m proud to say, with just a few days left in this administration, this is the first administration in decades not to get America into a new war,” Pence said as he spoke to sailors at Naval Air Station Lemoore on Saturday, about 38 miles south of Fresno.
Clad in a Navy green fighter pilot jacket, the vice president told the crowd of about 80 sailors Trump fought for the largest increases in defense spending “since the days of Ronald Reagan.”
“We’ve restored the arsenal of democracy,” Pence said. “Our military is now more equipped than ever before.”
Pence took to Twitter early Monday morning to again say he is “proud” the Trump administration “is the first in decades” not to get the U.S. entangled in a new war.
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“That’s Peace through Strength,” Pence tweeted.
I’m proud to report with just a few days left in our Administration, our Administration is the first in decades that did not get America into a new war. That’s Peace through Strength. pic.twitter.com/uiSNxi67aT
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 18, 2021
“You know, it is such an honor to be with you, here I go,” Karen Pence said, pausing, with tears welling in her eyes, “for our very last trip as vice president and Second Lady of the United States.”
The Second Lady told the soldiers how proud she was of them and of their families.
She said she chose to focus on the spouses of members of the military as her Second Lady initiative, in part because both her son and son-in-law serve as fighter pilots in the military. She said she knows the sacrifices they endure as “Blue Star Families” and she is proud to be one of them and grateful for their service.
“But there’s somebody else who’s been fighting to stand for our military and our military families for the last four years and each one of you is near and dear to his heart, this is where he wanted to be for his final speech as vice president of the United States,” she said.
In October, the White House issued a statement that saluted military accomplishments that did not require a major deployment of troops.
The statement pointed to the deaths of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani as military achievements.
On Sunday Pence visited troops at Fort Drum, which sits on the northern border of New York State, where he referred to a speech he gave there as his final public address as vice president, according to North Country Public Radio.
The report said Pence applauded the 10th Mountain Division and acknowledged it has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq nearly 50 times since 2001.
“There’s never been a day gone by that I and every American hasn’t been grateful to the 10th Mountain Division and every American hero in uniform,” Pence said.