Donald Trump does not have a political record. The fleeting glimpses Americans are offered into his own policies are further mudded by his own ideological inconsistencies and unpredictable temperament. A better lens, then, into his policies may be through the company he keeps. In terms of policy, understanding and regard for public health – Mike Pence is by all accounts an unmitigated disaster. In the last couple of years especially, Pence’s track record on health as told through his policies on tobacco, women’s health and LGBTQ rights has been outright harmful.

But, the man himself doesn’t think so. In an interview with Fox News, the Governor of Indiana said that there is “nothing wrong” with the public health of both Indiana and the United States as a whole. He also attributed all criticism to his “Democratic counterparts,” who, according to him, “will stop at nothing when it comes to hurting his and Donald Trump’s reputation.” “It’s nothing more than the old case of Democrats will be Democrats, I’m used to it by now. They always play dirty,” he said.

Pence also argued that the reason why he’s not concerned about public health at all is “because it conflicts with the best interests of the majority of the population in America.” Asked to elaborate, he said, “Well, since poverty is on the rise throughout the country, we should seriously consider what’s best for those people. And since it’s a real torment to live such a life, the vast majority of poor people are, I’m sad to say it, but that’s just how it is, they’re just better off dead. And seeing how they want to die as soon as possible, prolonging their life would pretty much be against their wishes.”

Asked what if different poor people feel differently about his theory, he replied, “Well, you know, that would be nice, but it’s not really possible.” He then elaborated that that had to do with the fact that “all poor people are a little bit coo-coo, and for the best part, they’re not really capable of making rational decisions about their wellbeing. Therefore, as responsible caretakers, it is up to us to decide for them. And you know, we decided that all that money that used to go into public healthcare would be used much better in getting the fallen American economy back on its feet.”

“At the end of the day,” Pence added, “we’re just trying to do what we would want someone else to do for us if the roles were reversed. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t want to be at the mercy of others when it comes to finding food, and also, you know, when it comes to being homeless. Those people are struggling and we’re just doing what’s best for them. We’re trying to end their suffering. At the end of the day, all that money that we’ll pour into re-building the staples of American economy like casinos and brothels is going to come back to us ten-fold. And when that happens, there won’t be any more poor people. They’ll just be the rich, the super rich and the ridiculously rich. It’ll be faaaaaaan-taaaastic,” Pence prophesized using his running mate’s famous motto.