Mike Pence Outlines His Top Priorities Ahead of Potential 2024 Bid

Former Vice President Mike Pence's advocacy organization released a new agenda on Thursday in what many may view as the latest step in a potential 2024 presidential bid.

Advancing American Freedom unveiled its "Freedom Agenda" on its website after teasing a "big announcement" in recent days. The 28-page document is likely to please conservative voters concerned about issues such as abortion, taxation and social media companies.

There has been significant speculation that Pence may launch his own bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but no campaign has yet been announced, including by former President Donald Trump, who remains the favored candidate for the nomination among GOP voters.

The Freedom Agenda is divided into three broad categories—American Culture, American Opportunity and American Leadership—and hits many familiar conservative notes.

Though the document is extensive in the topics it covers, many of the points are familiar conservative positions on key issues.

The American Culture section of the agenda takes clear aim at abortion and calls for the honoring of "the God-given worth and dignity of all people," as well as celebrating religion and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The agenda calls for the ending of "federal taxpayer-funding for abortion once and for all" and commits to complete the construction of a wall along the southern border that was a centerpiece of former President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Pence's platform also supports ending sanctuary cities, tackling so-called "chain migration"—another topic Trump often discussed—and promoting "the patriotic assimilation of immigrants through the immigration and naturalization process."

The agenda also includes plans to "promote patriotic education" for U.S. students.

"State and local jurisdictions should require high school students to pass testing on their knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers prior to graduation to ensure that high school students are graduating with a basic knowledge of America's most important founding documents and ideals," the agenda says.

That comes amid ongoing controversy over what is taught in American schools and widespread Republican criticism of Critical Race Theory (CRT), including efforts to ban its teaching in schools, though CRT is generally only taught at college level.

The section entitled American Opportunity argues that American people should be liberated "from oppressive taxation, tyrannical bureaucracy, and overregulation."

The agenda calls for reducing taxes and slashing federal spending, as well as balancing the federal budget within five years.

"Pay down the federal debt now, so that future generations are not saddled with unsustainable interest payments," the agenda says.

That section also calls for the World Trade Organization to undergo a "revamp" and suggests that social media companies "live under the same liability framework as traditional print and broadcast media companies."

That measure would effectively make social media companies publishers and would likely bring significant changes to online platforms if implemented.

The third section of the Freedom Agenda, American Leadership, calls for a tough U.S. stance against China, Russia and other unfriendly nations, as well as bringing an end to what the document describes as "woke" culture in the military.

The section expresses support for NATO, Taiwan and Israel, calls for "robust defense budgets that provide all our military personnel with the training and equipment they need" and criticizes Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Putin undermines freedom and democracy at home and abroad, while jeopardizing stability by threatening the sovereignty of Russia's neighbors," the document says.

The GOP presidential primaries will not begin until the early months of 2024 but speculation about Pence's ambitions has been rife. Trump has also repeatedly hinted at another White House run, while he and Pence have distanced themselves from each other, in particular over the events of January 6, 2021.