On Fox News Sunday, anchor Chris Wallace attempted to grill Vice President Mike Pence on the seeming disconnect between the administration’s official position on social distancing and stay-at-home orders, and the president’s embrace of protests across the country demanding an immediate and unconditional end to all preventive measures.

“I want to start with those growing protests across the country against the stay-at-home orders. Some of the protesters ignoring social distancing. What do you think specifically of their protests, and of how they’re carrying them out?

Pence replied by saying that since Trump put him in charge of the task force, Americans have “embraced” social distancing guidelines and “done the mitigation efforts,” and that this, together with “what governors have done”, has slowed the spread of Covid-19.

“We’re hastening the day when we can put the coronavirus in the past and reopen the American economy,” he said, not answering specifically about the protest question he was asked.

Eventually, Wallace had to interrupt the monologue to repeat his question.

“But Mr. Vice President, in a number of these cases these protesters, who are not social distancing, are saying they don’t want to wait. In many cases they are protesting your own guidelines to stop the spread,” said Wallace.

He brought up the president’s “LIBERATE” tweets and asked about the disparate messaging.

“What does the president mean? Because you’ve got guidelines calling for social distancing and staying at home. Even your new guidelines to reopen the country are very phased and gradual,” said Wallace. “What does the president mean when he says ‘liberate’ these states?”

“The American people know that no one in America wants to reopen this country more than President Donald Trump, and on Thursday the president directed us to lay out guidelines for when and how states could responsibly do that,” said Pence, continuing not to answer. “And in the president’s tweets and public statements I can assure you he’s going to continue to encourage governors to find ways to safely and responsibly let America go back to work.”

“When the president speaks about reopening America, it’s all about encouraging governors as soon as they determine what’s most proper most appropriate, to be able to do that and do that quickly,” said Pence, apparently arguing that screeching “LIBERATE” is that encouragement to act reasonably and responsibly in due time.

Pence continued to filibuster without answering the specific question. Watch the clip above, courtesy of Fox News.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]