Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 GOP primary candidate, has responded to the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, saying that it represents the “incredible progress” the United States has made.
Pence made his comments during a Sunday interview with ABC’s Jon Karl.
“I think that’s a tribute to our minority students. The incredible accomplishments of African Americans and Asian Americans in this country and Hispanic Americans speaks for itself,” Pence said. “The decision by the Supreme Court today was an acknowledgment of the incredible progress that minority Americans have made.”
“I understand you fully support this decision,” Karl responded. “But if the end result is that America’s most selective colleges and universities have fewer Black and Hispanic students, is that a problem for America?”
“Well, look, I think I couldn’t be more proud of the progress we’ve made toward a more perfect union in my lifetime, the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s,” Pence responded. “And I think there was a time for affirmative action, Jon, were to open the doors of our colleges and universities to minority students and particularly African Americans who may have been denied access.”
“But I think those days are over. You know, it was Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who more than 20 years ago, said that she thought affirmative action would go away in 25 years, it went away a little sooner than that,” he continued. “And I think that’s a tribute to our minority students. The incredible accomplishments of African Americans and Asian Americans in this country and Hispanic Americans speaks for itself.”
“And I really believe that the decision by the Supreme Court today was an acknowledgment of the incredible progress that minority Americans have made, their extraordinary educational achievements, and I have every confidence that – that African Americans and other minority Americans are going to continue to compete and succeed in universities around the country, but we’re going to do it with a colorblind society that I – I think is the aspiration of every American,” Pence added.
