Former Vice-President Mike Pence called for the elimination of critical racial theory while delivering a speech outlining his vision for the future of the US Republican Party.
On Thursday, Pence declared that the Republican Party “must stop trying to rewrite American history through initiatives such as Project 1619”, referring to the New York Times project to examine the legacy of slavery in the United States.
“The Republican Party must work in the coming years to make school choice the right of every American family”, – Pence said while giving a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
He said the Republican Party should work to ” restore classical education to our schools,” adding that “we must abolish critical racial theory at all levels,” meaning theory that explores how race and racism intersect with politics, culture and the law.
“Critical race theory teaches children as early as kindergarten to be ashamed of the colour of their skin. It represents a complete assault on the heart of the American experiment”, – Pence said.
“This is no other than state-sponsored and state-sanctioned racism. Our party must ensure this critical racial theory is removed from our schools, our military and our public institutions”, – he said to a round of applause from the audience.
Pence became the latest voice for the Republican Party in condemning critical race theory, which is gaining momentum within the party as a culture war heat button.
Earlier in June, Pence made assumptions about the 2024 presidential election during a speech in New Hampshire in which he took aim at the theory and said that “America is not a racist nation.”
Also this month, T irate Senator Ted Cruz said a critical racial theory he is “just as racist” as the Ku Klux Klan.
An Economist/YouGov poll in June found that a majority of Americans (58 per cent) had a negative view of critical race theory, which opponents say sows divisions between ethnic groups. Some 38% of respondents were positive about critical racial theory.
Pence also used his speech on Thursday to defend himself for certifying the Electoral College vote on 6 January, the day former President Donald Trump’s loyalists stormed the US Capitol.
In a comment that was seen as his strongest attempt to distance himself from Trump, Pence said that “almost no idea is more un-American than the idea that anyone can elect an American president.”