Lt. General Keith Kellogg, Retired, served as the National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Mike Pence before eventually becoming the Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States National Security Council in the Trump administration and serving as the National Security Advisor on an acting basis following the resignation of General Flynn.
Because of his close work with the former Vice President, he has insight into his character and intentions that others don’t, and he just used that insider knowledge of Mike Pence to write a powerful letter in which he describes why he thinks Trump and his vision are the better choice for America than Pence and his more passive, less aggressive approach to dealing with America’s problems.
In the letter, which Gen. Kellogg posted to Truth Social, the former general explained that he thinks Trump is the better choice because Trump is willing to take the fight to the Deep State and try to fix America’s problems, whereas his experience with Pence shows the former VP to be a man more worried about his image than America’s crushing problems. In his view, that makes Pence more willing to take a passive approach than Trump, which is the opposite of what America needs.
Beginning, General Kellogg recounted his experience with President Trump, saying, “I’ve worked alongside many leaders in my years of service to this Nation. Among them, President Donald J. Trump stands apart as a figure of unwavering determination, a deep vision for America, and the courage to take a stand where others wilt. His bold and dramatic leadership style during his Presidency resulted in significant achievements for our country.”
Continuing, he explained his connection to former VP Pence and explained what it is about Pence’s leadership style that makes him less enthusiastic about a Pence candidacy than another attempt at putting Trump in the Executive Mansion, saying, “For a period of time in the White House, I served as the National Security Advisor to Vice President Pence. While I respect his service to our Nation, I must express my disappointment in his recent actions regarding President Trump. It is not the decisive leadership that we have seen from President Trump.”
Emphasizing that point, he argued that Trump is far more willing to challenge the Swamp than Pence because Pence generally wants to avoid confrontation, unlike Trump, who seems to revel in it. He said, “Where President Trump is bold and unafraid to challenge the status quo, Pence has often chosen the passive route, avoiding confrontation. This lack of assertiveness, combined with an overreliance on failed political consultants like Marc Short, has demonstrated a laisse-faire leadership style unworthy of the Presidency.”
He then echoed a concern that many on the populist right have about Pence, which is that his long time in the DC Swamp makes him more interesting in maintaining an image he spent years crafting than on taking bold steps to defeat the right’s enemies and try to fix America’s problems. He said, “While President Trump has consistently put America first, prioritizing our citizens, our economy, and global standing, Pence’s actions have often seemed more focused on political maneuvering and maintaining his image. That is not what Republican voters want. President Trump’s dedication to the prosperity and security of the United States is unwavering, as is his vision for the future.”
Ending the letter, he argued that now is the time to put a “bold and decisive” leader like Trump in the White House, saying, “I believe in the future President Trump envisions. A future that demands bold and decisive leadership, something we have seen in President Trump but not from the former Vice President.”
General Kellog image credit: By JKTKMM – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71944237; Mike Pence image credit: By Photo by Staff Sgt. Les Newport, Indiana National Guard – https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1653948/veterans-day-indianapolis, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57908700
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