Donald Trump has challenger and he is Republican Mike Pence

Former US Vice President Mike Pence is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticise the newly elected Donald Trump administration.

His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's pick to lead the nation's health agencies. Pence has been delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns, AP reported.

This weekend, he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, "He who saves his country does not violate any law."


It's an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump's refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his efforts to remain in power, as per the AP report.

Pence and those who work with him at Advancing American Freedom, his political advocacy group, stress they are not looking to take on the "Never Trump" mantle. They intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don't, advocating for longtime conservative principles that have fallen out of favour as Trump's "Make America Great Again" brand of populism has taken hold.

"We're calling balls and strikes here," Pence told The Associated Press.

Pence opposed Kennedy - who has since been confirmed as secretary of health and human services - due to Kennedy's past comments voicing support for abortion rights. His group is now lobbying against Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump's pick for labour secretary, accusing her of being pro-union, and plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to stop slapping tariffs on allies.

FAQs

Q1. How much Mike Pence has spent in ad endorsement?
A1. Mike Pence's group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's pick to lead the nation's health agencies.


Q2. Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr?
A2. Robert F Kennedy Jr has since been confirmed as secretary of health and human services.