(NewsNation) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is getting mixed reactions after criticizing former President Donald Trump’s dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Pence is not the only Republican to call out Trump for dining with Fuentes. Top Republicans including Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Rick Scott (Fla.) have said there’s no room for white nationalist views in the GOP.
But Pence, who condemned the dinner in an interview with NewsNation’s Leland Vittert, is getting hit from all sides.
On social media, some lashed out at Pence for criticizing Trump at all, calling his remarks “pathetic.” Others pointed out that Pence still associates with people known to hold white nationalist views and that he stood behind Trump for years.
Pundits also debated just how much credit Pence deserves for his comments after standing behind Trump for so long.
Critics have pointed out that while Pence condemned the dinner, he followed it up with a defense of Trump, saying he doesn’t believe the former president is antisemitic.
With Pence’s recently released book outlining a history of his supporting Trump, some pundits have suggested he doesn’t deserve credit after refusing to denounce Trump’s divisive views before.
On MSNBC, hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski debated the issue, both expressing surprise that Pence would speak out at all. Scarborough pushed back against the idea that Pence’s statements were too little, too late, crediting the former vice president for speaking up at all.
Trump isn’t the only official Pence has clashed with lately. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is departing from his role as chief medical adviser to the president, pushed back against Pence’s claims that Fauci sided with Democrats during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci said his decisions have been rooted in science, not politics.