Mike Pence vows to fire Chris Wray, blasts ‘puppet-master’ Soros

Donald Trump “was” his friend, President Biden is a “disaster” and Democratic mega-donor George Soros is a “puppet master,” former Vice President Mike Pence said during an exclusive interview with The Post.

Pence, 64, who entered an increasingly crowded 2024 GOP presidential primary race this week, gave candid answers when asked for fast-take reactions to names in the news.

Some elicited quick responses, while others took longer, such as when he asked about Hunter Biden.

“Time to answer questions,” he finally said, after ruminating for nearly a minute.

Other responses came much more quickly, such as when he was presented with Bud Light.

“Not anymore,” Pence said.

The beer brand saw its No.2 world standing plummet after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

The word “transgender” prompted this quick reply: “Got to protect our kids.”

Pence faces the delicate task of trumpeting his record as a loyal vice president, while simultaneously making the case to voters that they should choose him over his old boss Donald Trump, who was arraigned this week over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Pence called the spectacle a “sad day for our country,” but also added that “the indictment includes serious charges, and I can’t defend what is alleged.”

Pence is currently polling in the single digits, while Trump is leading the pack with 53% support, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

“I’ll always be proud of the record of the Trump administration,” Pence said.

“I was always loyal to President Trump . . . right up until when my loyalty to the Constitution required me to do otherwise,” he added, alluding to his refusal to help overturn Trump’s 2020 presidential election defeat

When pressed about how Trump’s alleged malfeasance differed from the classified documents found at Pence’s own home — for which he will not be charged — he was quick to note that he had fully cooperated with authorities after the records were discovered.

“I’m pleased that they concluded that it was an innocent mistake. But let me be clear. It was a mistake. I took full responsibility for it because the protection of classified materials of the United States is a very serious matter,” he said.

Yet Pence was unsparing in his criticism of the Department of Justice and FBI.

“The American people have lost confidence in the Department of Justice. And if I’m president of the United States on day one, we’re going to clean house on the top floor of the Department of Justice and bring in a whole new group of people,” Pence said.

Among the Day 1 departures would be FBI Director Christopher Wray, who Pence promised to fire.

Pence was unafraid to draw points of contrast with Trump and other Republicans on Ukraine.

“When I look at where my former running mate and frankly, others in the field want to take our party … You know, as war rages in Eastern Europe, my former running mate and others in this primary would diminish America’s obligation as the leader of the free world and the arsenal of democracy,” he said.

Trump has denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “Holocaust” and has vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in “24 hours” — but he has so far declined to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has spoken out in favor of a deal that would allow Russia to “take over” some areas of Ukraine.

He also criticized Trump — and the administration Pence was a part of — on the economy.

“Frankly, we didn’t do as good a job as we could on controlling spending. And truth is, we have a national debt the size of our nation’s economy today,” Pence conceded.

During the Trump-Pence administration, the nation passed three debt-ceiling increases with no corresponding spending cuts — in stark contrast to the recent bipartisan deal negotiated between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which did cap future spending.

The national debt increased by $7.8 trillion during Trump’s years in office.

“Donald Trump’s policy is the same as Joe Biden’s. I mean, they both have refused to engage in any discussion about reforming Social Security and Medicare,” said Pence, noting Trump’s longstanding opposition to cutting unsustainable entitlement spending.

Pence also reiterated his pro-life credentials, saying he would sign a federal abortion ban introduced by Sen. Lindsay Graham which would ban the procedure after 15 weeks — and would be open to even stricter limitations like the six-week ban signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“My former running mate has taken to blaming overturning Roe versus Wade for election losses of ’22, suggesting that pro-life legislation in states around the country is too harsh,” Pence said, saying he planned to lean hard on his pro-life bonafides.

On the coronavirus pandemic, Pence broadly defended his administration’s effort — and declined to answer whether Trump should have fired Dr. Anthony Fauci. DeSantis has argued he should have.

“I’ve thought very deeply about that,” Pence said. “I regret the way Dr. Fauci became a symbol for and a justification for the heavy hand of government by Democrat governors and mayors. And it’s among the lessons that we should learn. But at the end of the day, I’m very proud of what the American people accomplished during the worst pandemic in 100 years.”