Mike Pence Claimed He Went 'Toe to Toe' With Putin But Twitter Brought the Embarrassing Receipts

Former President Donald Trump's administration was often characterized by its softness on Russia. In the first year of Trump's presidency, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina—a Trump supporter—acknowledged the administration had a "blind spot" when it came to Russia.

At a disastrous 2018 joint presser in Helsinki, Trump famously sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. Intelligence officials who confirmed that Russia did, in fact, seek to interfere with the 2016 election for Trump's benefit. When Putin lied that the Russian government did no such thing, Trump took him at his word.

Now, former Vice President Mike Pence—who's somewhat estranged from Trump for not violating the Constitution by unilaterally throwing out the electoral votes of swing states Trump lost—appears to be mulling a 2024 presidential run.

This week, Pence delivered a speech to students at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he sought to defend his record as Vice President, addressing his stance on Putin in the process.

Watch below.

Pence said:

"I’ve also met Vladimir Putin. I stood toe to toe with him and told him things he didn’t want to hear. And let me tell all of you, Putin only understands strength, and America must meet this moment with American strength."

But social media users remember that differently, and many began sharing details about the times Pence and Putin interacted.

One tweeter, @JoJoFromJerz, shared video of Pence interacting with the Russian President, appearing mostly speechless except to say "Okay."

Those weren't the only receipts.

The hits kept on coming.

People don't seem convinced.