Mike Pence Cites His Own Kids’ College Experiences When Praising SCOTUS Gutting Affirmative Action

Former Vice President Mike Pence held up his own experience as a “father of three college graduates” to explain away the need for continued affirmative action at U.S. universities.

After the Supreme Court ruled that race could no longer be considered in college admissions, Pence spoke to NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns while on a surprise visit to Ukraine.

“I’m grateful to see that the conservative majority, that we helped build on the Supreme Court, bring an end to most of affirmative action. Look, we want to live in a color-blind society. And I will tell you — There may have been a time, 50 years ago, when we needed to affirmatively take steps to correct long-term racial bias in institutions of higher education. But, I can tell you, as the father of three college graduates, um, those days are long over. And I’m grateful today that the Supreme Court took us one step back to that America that will judge every man and woman on the content of their character and their own achievement, and leave race out of consideration for admission to institutions of higher learning.

Democratic strategist Basil Smikle told MSNBC he found Pence’s comments to be “really offensive.”

“To say that, ‘well, this was true 50 years ago but not right now’ — I just can’t understand how anybody in their right mind can say that. But it just indicates that power and privilege reproduce themselves very well, and the people who benefit from that will go to any lengths to try to maintain it.”

Twitter also had some things to say about Pence’s comment.

Other journalists, writers, and politicians followed suit in their criticism of Pence.

Watch the MSNBC clips above.

This article has been updated to correct Burns’ job title as NBC News correspondent.

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