RUSH: We have the vice president with us. Mike Pence joins us from Iowa. Mr. VP, welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Great to have you back here.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Rush Limbaugh, it is great to be with you on the campaign bus in western Iowa looking out at the snow-filled plains. We just had a great rally this morning. I’m gonna meet up with the president tonight in Des Moines. But I got tell you, the enthusiasm out here for the president and his agenda is overwhelming. We are excited to be in this election year and excited to be here in the first in the nation state.
RUSH: Now, I know that the Iowa Caucuses are both parties, but you don’t have any the challengers there. So what are you actually doing in Iowa, Mr. Vice President?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I think you know, the president and I felt it was really important for us to be here in Iowa. Obviously, the caucuses are just a few days away and the nation’s attention will turn here. But we wanted to make sure that while most of the media will be focused on the Democrat field, that people across Iowa support President Donald Trump. They support the agenda that he’s delivered, a stronger national defense, delivered on the largest trade deal in American history, signed into law. I mean, Governor Kim Reynolds is here, a popular conservative governor. She’s traveling with me and with the president today. The people of Iowa support President Donald Trump, and while the attention will be on the Democrat caucus, we want to make sure people know we’re gonna be campaigning and we know the people of Iowa are gonna say yes to four more years of President Donald Trump come November 2020.
RUSH: I had a call earlier this week. You know, a lot of people are paying attention — well, actually a lot of people aren’t. But some of the people who are paying attention to the trial called me —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yup.
RUSH: — and were asking me how I think the president was dealing with it, and I said, “Well, where is the president today?” I said, “Where was Richard Nixon during Watergate?” They said, “He was in the White House.” I said, “Where’s President Trump?” “Uh, in the White House?”
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: “No, no, he’s not in the White House. He’s out doing his job.” Exactly. The trade deal you’re talking about, the Middle East peace deal.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: This is something that, you know, the media hasn’t given a lot of coverage. You’ve been doing some amazing things, not just this week but the week prior and the days and months prior.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Rush, you know this president. I can tell your millions of listeners: He never stops. He gets up every day and fights to keep the promises he made to the American people. Look, this impeachment trial starts in the Senate. The president went over to Europe, spoke at Davos and gave a speech about the booming American economy and our agenda of less taxes, less regulation, more American energy, and free and fair trade. And, as you said, I mean, look at the history-making announcement this week when the president outlined a bold vision for peace in the Middle East.
And then yesterday (chuckles) on the South Lawn of the White House, again — you know, I say it again — it was the largest trade deal in American history. It’s going to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the early going, and it also is gonna make it possible as we continue negotiations with China. We just started. You know, we did a phase one deal with China earlier this month.
As we negotiate with China, as we negotiate with the U.K. after they get out of Brexit tomorrow, deal with the E.U., what the president has shown is he’s willing to deal in trading relations with countries around the world, but it’s gotta be free and fair; it’s gotta be reciprocal — and the USMCA I think stands as a shining testament to this president’s determination to fight for American jobs and American farmers.
RUSH: Well, you know, there are two stories just today, Mr. Vice President. One of them: “Mexico Has Deported over 2,000 Caravan Migrants Back to Honduras.” There’s not an American politician in my lifetime who could have forced Mexico to ever do something like this. They tried to put another caravan here, come here and flood the country illegally. Mexico refused to let them.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
RUSH: And then there’s a story: “Life Expectancy Is on the Rise in America for the First Time in Four Years.” Now, what’s the common denominator in these stories? Donald Trump.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, that’s right. (chuckling) I mean, look, the American economy is booming. Businesses large and small created seven million jobs. But I gotta tell you what’s most exciting to me and the president — and I just was talking about this at an event in Sioux City, Iowa — wages are rising across the board, most rapidly than in a decade, and they’re rising the fastest for blue-collar, hardworking Americans. I mean, people have more money in their pockets. The average family: $5,000 in disposable income. People are (garbled cell). But you talk about Mexico. You know, remember where we were a year ago, Rush, where we were in the middle of a government shutdown?
RUSH: Yeah.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We were being told tens of thousands of illegal immigrants were surging across our border every month. The Democrats were saying it was “a manufactured crisis,” and this president… It was a year ago. This president declared an emergency on our southern border, began to build the wall and then made it clear… I was in those negotiations. He said to Mexico (chuckling), “Look, we’re gonna start tariffing goods coming in from Mexico unless you take action to secure your southern border and secure ours.”
And, as I sit here today — I just told people in Iowa — apprehensions on our southern border in the last six months are down 70%, and we’ve just marked the first hundred miles of that new border wall. This president is delivering. He’s delivering real results on our economy, on border security, national security, and the American people know it. And then the enthusiasm I saw at an early-morning rally in Sioux City gives evidence of the fact. We’re gonna win Iowa. We’re gonna win four more years for President Donald Trump in November 2020.
RUSH: I think there’s a new normal being established here that is just absolutely fabulous, and it’s happened rapidly. There’s… You know, one of the things that you and the administration have done, if I may opine here, is that many people have grown accustomed to the Washington excuse, “Things happen slow, Rush. You can’t expect big changes overnight.”
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: “It’s a big ship. It takes a long time to make these turns, turn ’em around, go the other direction.”
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: Well, you guys have nuked that. You guys have demonstrated that if you really want to change things, and for the better, you can do it — and he’s done it without a whole lot of support from the other party. He’s done it despite this effort to throw him out of office. It’s incredible when you stop and think about it, and I don’t mean to be sucking up here at all. I’m telling what I really think about this.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
RUSH: It’s phenomenal what has been accomplished here, and why can’t this become the new normal? Why can’t this become what the United States is: Make America Great Again, put America first. This is exactly what President Trump was elected to do.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I think what you’re talking about is leadership, is that here was a president that said, “Look, we’ve got an economy that had grown by less than 2% for the last eight years, slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. He said, “We can do better.” We took decisive action, worked with partners in Congress, turned the economy around. He said, “We’ve gotta have a strong military again.” Largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. The action that he’s taken with regard to border security and Mexico.
I mean, one step after another, this president has fulfilled what I think is — in so many ways — what the founders created in the executive branch. One of the terms I remember, I think it might have been Alexander Hamilton, he talked about having… They wanted to create what they called “an energetic executive,” the ability of the president to deal with national challenges and opportunities from national security to prosperity.
And what the American people have had in the last three years — despite unprecedented opposition, obstruction, resistance, and this partisan impeachment effort — what the American people witnessed is a leader who has been willing to step forward, confront problems, take action. And the results really speak for themselves: An economy that’s booming; an America that’s more secure, more respected around the world than any time in my lifetime.
RUSH: Vice President Mike Pence is with us. Before I let you go, you brought up impeachment. Can I ask you…?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Sure.
RUSH: You’re in Iowa today. You’re on a bus tour.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
RUSH: Is anybody asking you about it?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Nobody.
RUSH: How many people are asking you about it — I mean, detailed questions about it?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Nobody.
RUSH: “Do you think they’re gonna need witnesses? Is the president gonna be acquitted?” Is anybody asking you about this?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No.
RUSH: I’m talking about the public that you encounter.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Rush, they’re not. And, you know, as I travel around… What the president and I tend to do, he’ll do a big rally at the end of the day, invite me to be part of it. Then I get on this bus that I’m on right now, and we travel around the state beforehand, you know, and I get to stop at diners. I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago, and I stopped at a couple of different diners, and in the course of the entire day, I had one person bring up this partisan impeachment, one person.
And all they said to me was just tell the president just get this thing done with. We’ve just gotta move on. I mean, the American people know what’s going on here. They can read the transcript. They can see the president did nothing wrong. There was no quid pro quo. Ukraine not only got the aid in September. But, frankly, they know that this administration, different from the last administration, actually gave Ukraine Javelin missiles, the ability to defend themselves against Russian insurgents, Russian tanks.
All the facts are known here, and I just… (chuckling) The only time it ever comes up is when people are saying, “Get on with it, get this over with,” and I just… I think what the American people want is for the president… You know, they got their questions, I guess, again today. But the Senate should finish their work, they should acquit the president, and then let’s get back to work on a stronger, more secure, more prosperous America.
RUSH: Well, the new Democrat theme today… You may not be aware of it unless you’ve been briefed. But the new Democrat theme is, “You can’t have an acquittal without witnesses. You can’t have a trial without witnesses.” That’s Pelosi and Schiff. So, I think they’re waving the white flag on it.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah, Rush? Rush? Rush, they had 17 witnesses!
RUSH: Yeah, I know. (chuckling) I know.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: They had 17 witnesses in the House of Representatives. I mean, they have no case — and despite the fact they rushed this through, no due process for the president of the United States.
RUSH: Exactly.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Couldn’t have lawyers present. Couldn’t call witnesses. They jammed this thing through before Christmas. They said it was an overwhelming case, and, after sitting on it for a month, all the American people have heard from the Democrats is how they need more witnesses; they need more evidence. You know, look, the Senate’s got a process underway. They’ll finish that process today with questions. But I think… Everybody I talk to around the country, including people that I saw here in Iowa this morning, they want the Senate to finish their work.
Finish their questions. Let’s acquit the president, and let’s get back to work on making this economy even more prosperous, making our country even more secure. And that’s what the president… I promise you, he has worked on that every single day since he came off that platform on Inauguration Day. He’s been delivering for the American people. But it’s time that Congress got back to work on the issues that matter most to the American people.
RUSH: Thank you, Mr. Vice President, for your time. It’s always great. Any time you want to come on, you’re welcome. Thank you, sir.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Rush. Great to be with you from Iowa, and it’s gonna be a big night with the president in Des Moines. Thanks for having me.
RUSH: Mike Pence, vice president of the United States. Thank you, sir.