Mike Pence trolled Stanford students who were yelling, “We are the awake left!”

Students chanting “Buzz off Bigot” and “We believe in science” greeted former Vice President Mike Pence as he arrived at Stanford University for an event called “Saving America From The Waking Left.”

The second-in-command of former President Donald Trump’s administration took aim at high gas prices, vaccine mandates, cancel culture and “critical race theory” as he delivered his speech to a packed crowd at Dinkelspiel Auditorium. from Stanford. Dozens of protesters gathered outside waving signs reading “resist fascism” and “your hate is not welcome,” according to social media accounts.

“We are the awakened ones on the left!” protesters mocked Pence in a chant, according to a tweet from KTVU’s Elissa Harrington.

Mike Pence is giving a speech titled "How to Save America from the Woke Left" tonight at Stanford. Student protests and a walkout are expected.@ByLHernandez and I have you covered with all the developments:https://t.co/BEbydihIl1

— Andres Picon (@andpicon) February 18, 2022

As the Republicans prepared to take the stage, other protesters filled the courtyard outside, waving signs and standing by barricades.

Pence was brought to the Palo Alto, California, campus with the help of Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth organization. The group tweeted photos and videos of protesters chanting, “Hey hey ho ho, Mike Pence has got to go.”

“We don’t need to learn from Mike Pence,” the protesters chanted, according to the group’s posts.

Inside, Pence reiterated many criticisms Republicans have leveled at Washington, DC, since the party lost control of Congress and the White House in 2020. He denounced what he called the Democrats’ “big government socialist agenda” and what he characterized as President Joe. Biden’s embrace of the culture of awakening and the assault on freedom of expression.

During the presentation, Pence said that he was proud of the COVID-19 vaccine that was developed under the Trump administration in record time. He said that he had received the vaccine and had been reinforced, but he opposed the mandates.

“In a free society, that is a choice every American should be able to make for themselves and their families,” he said.

After his speech, Pence fielded questions and was pestered with questions about where to use the bathroom and whether he had a gay son. He was also asked more direct questions about his falling out with the former Trump and the divisions in the Republican Party.

He was asked about Trump’s earlier comments that he didn’t go “far enough” and rejected the 2020 election results while Congress certified the results. Pence said he stood by his actions and acknowledged that he may never agree with Trump, who has persisted with unsubstantiated claims that the election was marked by widespread voter fraud.

“You know, I know in my heart that we did our duty that day,” Pence said.

Despite his recently rocky relationship with Trump, Pence said he will always be proud of the administration’s accomplishments.

Pence was asked about the Republicans’ “cancellation” of his fellow Republicans. He responded that despite differences of opinion, the American people “decide”, before criticizing the media and big tech for “censoring conservatives”.

“We’ve seen people literally shut out of the debate, and when I talk about cancel culture, that’s what I’m talking about,” Pence said.

He was asked if the Republican National Committee recently passed a resolution referring to the Jan. 6 riots as “legitimate political speech.”

“Let me state clearly that January 6 was a tragic day,” Pence said, adding that those who “looted” the Capitol should be held accountable.

He was also asked if he would support Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has espoused conspiracy theories.

“I’m going to let people figure out their own primaries,” he said but added that he would support Republicans in the midterm elections.

Kara Zupkus, a spokeswoman for Young America’s Foundation, said news week in an email that her group expected some unrest, but was pleased that some disagreeing students stayed for what she called “a productive dialogue during the question-and-answer session.”

“Those protesters screaming into the void outside really deepened their own ideological silos,” he said. “The vice president brought a perspective that is much needed and not often heard at Stanford.”