Former Vice President Mike Pence said the Heritage Foundation has become “disappointing and concerning to millions of American conservatives” following what he described as a significant shift in ideology.
“I had a longstanding relationship with the Heritage Foundation,” Pence said on CNN Wednesday night, adding that the Washington-based think tank “contributed mightily to the conservative movement,” before sharply criticizing its recent direction.
Host Kaitlin Collins framed the issue as a growing fracture within the conservative movement, noting that “more than a dozen staffers, some of them incredibly influential,” have left Heritage amid controversy over “condemning or allowing anti-Semitism in your party.”
“Many of them left and … came to the group that you founded,” Collins said, asking Pence directly, “Do you recognize the Heritage Foundation as it is today when you look at it?”
Pence responded that the concerns extend beyond the current controversy, citing Heritage’s refusal “to distance themselves from the likes of this Nazi [Nick] Fuentes,” along with broader ideological shifts. He did not specifically acknowledge the topic of antisemitism.
He said Heritage has “essentially embrace[d] isolationism on the world stage, begin to embrace big government policies, even marginalize the right to life,” developments he called “disappointing and concerning to millions of American conservatives.”
Pence emphasized that his organization, Advancing American Freedom, was founded five years ago “to be one more voice in the conservative movement in Washington, D.C.”
“I was deeply humbled when some of the leading policy, thought leaders at Heritage came, came to us and said, we see you as a consistent organization, committed to that traditional conservative agenda,” Pence said.
He added that he was “proud to welcome these principled conservative men and women to the camp,” calling the moment part of a larger debate within the Republican Party.
“That’s the debate within the Republican Party today,” Pence said, “whether we’re going to stay true to that, that broad-based conservative agenda of a strong defense, American leadership on the world stage, limited government, fiscal responsibility, the right to life.”
Pence contrasted that vision with “the siren song of populism,” calling it “an important debate going forward.”
The comments come as Advancing American Freedom has hired roughly 15 former Heritage employees, according to The Wall Street Journal, in a move that has intensified tensions between the two conservative institutions.
Those joining Pence’s group include John Malcolm, former head of Heritage’s legal and judicial studies center; Kevin Dayaratna, who led its data analysis center; and Richard Stern, director of economic policy studies.
“I am proud to be joining Advancing American Freedom with some terrific colleagues as the head of the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law. Exciting times ahead,” Malcolm wrote on X after the hires were announced.
Heritage leadership has pushed back, insisting the organization’s “mission is unchanged,” and accusing departing staff of “disruption” and “disloyalty.”
The staffing fight follows months of turmoil at Heritage, including backlash over President Kevin Roberts’ defense of Tucker Carlson after Carlson interviewed white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Two Heritage board members, Abby Spencer Moffat and Shane McCullar, along with scholar Robert P. George, are also among those who resigned amid concerns about the organization’s direction.
