Former Vice President Mike Pence expressed shock at how President Joe Biden spoke to the American people Thursday when announcing new COVID-19 related mandates.
"I have to tell you the president's speech yesterday was unlike anything I had ever heard from an American president," Pence said on Fox News Channel.
"I mean, to have the president of the United States say that he has been patient but his patience is wearing thin. That's not how the American people expect to be spoken to by our elected leaders."
Biden on Thursday announced his intention to require most federal employees to get COVID-19 vaccines, and to force companies with more than 100 employees to vaccinate workers or test them weekly.
A former governor of Indiana, Pence said Biden's announcement to impose vaccine mandates did not respect the leadership at the state level — something former President Donald Trump and his administration stressed from the beginning of the pandemic.
"We got governors across the country what they needed when they needed it, and we respected them to make the decisions best for their state,” said Pence, who led Trump’s coronavirus task force.
"And now to have a president not just scolding the American people but scolding governors around the country, it just is not the American way. And I expect the response they are going to get across the country will prove that."
Pence, who with wife Karen got inoculated against COVID-19 on national television in December, said Biden should continue to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.
As vice president, Pence led the Trump administration's efforts through Operation Warp Speed to help drug makers quickly produce an effective coronavirus vaccine.
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other Republicans have joined Pence in urging Americans to get vaccinated.
However, some GOP members remain skeptical about the vaccines, and have criticized the Biden administration for trying to force people to get the shots.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the organization intended to sue Biden over his COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
"Joe Biden told Americans when he was elected that he would not impose vaccine mandates. He lied," McDaniel said in a statement posted on the RNC’s Twitter account. "Now small businesses, workers, and families across the country will pay the price.
"Like many Americans, I am pro-vaccine and anti-mandate. Many small businesses and workers do not have the money or legal resources to fight Biden’s unconstitutional actions and authoritarian decrees, but when his decree goes into effect, the RNC will sue the administration to protect Americans and their liberties."
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