Former Vice President Mike Pence has renewed criticism of former President Donald Trump, highlighting ongoing tensions within the Republican Party. Speaking Sunday on Meet the Press on NBC News, Pence took issue with remarks Trump made during a recent speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, calling them a “disservice” to U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During his address, Trump argued that the growth of modern Middle Eastern cities such as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi was driven primarily by local leadership and populations rather than Western-led nation-building efforts. He also criticized past U.S. foreign interventions, asserting that “nation-builders” often caused more harm than progress by intervening in societies they did not fully understand.
Trump has long emphasized a foreign policy centered on reducing U.S. involvement in prolonged overseas conflicts, a message that was central to his political platform. His recent multi-day visit to the region included stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Although Pence described the trip as largely successful, he maintained that Trump’s comments in Saudi Arabia were misguided and inappropriate.
