Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday launched a new podcast called American Freedom with conservative group Young America’s Foundation, or YAF.
“Young America’s Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the American Freedom podcast, Vice President Mike Pence’s newest project to promote and advance freedom across the nation,” YAF said in a press release to The Daily Wire. “The podcast will serve as an opportunity for Vice President Pence to share stories of the fight for freedom against big government and anything that would threaten America’s standing as the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.”
“I am thrilled to partner with Young America’s Foundation to launch my new podcast, American Freedom,” Pence said. “American Freedom will serve as an opportunity to highlight the unique and remarkable ways in which the next generation of conservative leaders are stepping up to promote traditional conservative values and reject the destructive ideals of the radical left that threaten America’s standing as the great in the world.”
In American Freedom’s debut episode, “20 Years Later, We Will Never Forget,” the former VP, who serves as YAF’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar, reflects on the September 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
“As schools and public officials nationwide attempt to sanitize and forget the tragic 9/11 attacks, Vice President Pence is using the 20th anniversary of that horrific day as an opportunity to ensure the next generation understands what the day means to the nation and the lasting impact it has created,” YAF emphasized in a statement.
During the podcast, Pence recalls his personal memories from that tragic day and speaks to two students who lost their fathers in the attacks.
Then serving as a freshman congressman, Pence says on the podcast that he was on Capitol Hill when the first plane struck one of the Twin Towers. By the time he was back to his office across from the U.S. Capitol, a second plane had hit the other tower and talk of terrorism grew. “I gathered for staff for a very quick prayer,” Pence recalled, before exiting the building.
“I was standing in my office … when my assistant dropped the telephone, yelled, ‘The Pentagon has been hit.’ We immediately saw on our television screens the smoke rising from the Pentagon, just across the river from Capitol Hill,” Pence says during the podcast.
Gathered with other lawmakers, Pence said Capitol police told them that “there’s an aircraft inbound to the Capitol, and it’s 12 minutes out.” “And I remember the silence that descended on that office,” he recalled.
The Republican also talks to two Young Americans for Freedom activists who faced pushback from their schools for hosting YAF’s 9/11: Never Forget Project, which includes displays of American flags to commemorate each innocent life lost 20 years ago.
“Vice President Mike Pence has always been a stalwart defender of individual freedom, traditional values, free markets, and limited government throughout his career of distinguished service to our country,” said YAF President Governor Scott Walker. “A longtime friend of the Foundation, Vice President Pence is the perfect choice to directly address the rising generation about the ongoing threats to freedom, and inspire them with the founding principles of our country.”
The podcast is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.