If you didn’t check out Tucker Carlson’s recent interviews with GOP presidential hopefuls at the Iowa Family Leader Conference, then you should probably take the time to do so. I agree with the American Thinker on the interviews, that it was more enlightening than anything we’re going to hear at the upcoming debates.

I thought GOP contenders Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy did the best job and seemed the most genuine and non-evasive in answering questions. Tim Scott and Ron DeSantis didn’t hurt themselves but Mike Pence and Asa Hutchinson both had an epic fail.

Ramaswamy had a lot of insight and seems a better grasp on what regular folks, especially the young ones, are concerned about, while Haley seemed like the most competent, ready to step into the Oval Office. Although I like what Ramaswamy has to say, without any political experience, I am concerned that the Democrats (and RINOS) would roll over him like they did with Trump and he’d be in the position of being sabotaged on a daily basis.

Hutchinson got questioned by Carlson on his veto of an Arkansas bill that would have banned “gender-affirming care” for trans people under 18 years of age. He had said that he did the veto because the bill had too much governmental overreach in it with “new standards of legislative interference with physicians and parents.”

He participated in a confusing back-and-forth with Carlson and I still don’t completely understand where he stands. It sounded like he’s okay with gender surgery and medication if the parent says it’s okay – but doesn’t want the schools involved – but if there is a bill to stop the students from being involved that takes away parental rights, then he doesn’t like that either. I don’t think that will fly with most Americans. Especially parents.

However, the biggest jaw-dropping news was what Pence said when he was going back and forth on discussions with Carlson on the Ukraine/Russia war.

Pence was talking about being disappointed that the Biden administration wasn’t doing enough for Ukraine. Carlson said to him, “You are distressed that the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks. Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years. Drive around. There’s not one city that’s gotten better in the United States, and it’s visible.”

Carlson continued, “Our economy has degraded, the suicide rate has jumped, public filth and disorder and crime have exponentially increased, and yet, your concern is that the Ukrainians – a country most people can’t find on a map – who’ve received tens of billions of U.S. tax dollars, don’t have enough tanks. I think it’s a fair question to ask, like, where’s the concern for the United States in that?””

Pence answered, “That’s not my concern. Tucker, I’ve heard this routine from you before. That’s not my concern.”

WTF?

Pence has gotten criticized over what he said and he calls the reporting of the interview “fake news” but his words before and after the comment don’t clarify anything.

The bottom line is that he hasn’t told anyone what exactly isn’t his concern – the cities in decay, the crime problem, the comparison to Ukraine? Or it’s not his concern to answer the question?

I think Pence is trying to spin something that is non-spinnable. I watched the whole interview and it was quite offensive when he said “That’s not my concern.”

I have seen no good explanation from Pence about why he said what he did or what exactly he meant.