'Surprised' Pence and DeSantis blast Trump’s loyalty to 'murderous dictator' Kim Jong Un

In an interview with Fox News in Iowa Saturday, former Vice President Mike Pence criticized former President Donald Trump over his support for North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.

The former Vice President and potential 2024 GOP candidate has criticized the former president before — over his role in provoking the Jan. 6 attack — but, other times, Pence has remained loyal to Trump — for instance, after the MAGA 2024 hopeful was recently indicted for sexual assault.

Now, Pence is letting the former president know, "Whether it's my former running mate or anyone else, no one should be praising the dictator in North Korea — or praising the leader of Russia, who has launched an unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine," adding, "This is a time when we ought to make it clear to the world that we stand for freedom and we stand with those who stand for freedom."

READ MORE: Mike Pence says 'history will hold Donald Trump accountable' for January 6th: report

Per Politico, Trump's newest 2024 GOP rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, also blasted Trump for his support of Jong Un, saying, "I was surprised to see that. ... Kim Jong Un is a murderous dictator."

While the former Vice President did not name Trump in the interview, Trump has, on multiple occasions, praised both authoritarian leaders — saying he's "never met anybody smarter," referring to Jong-Un, and calling Putin "very smart."

In April, the former president also called Jong Un, Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping "Top of the line. Top line. They're all top of the line."

Under Putin's reign, Russia was hit earlier this week with "the most significant attack since the Second World War" by Ukraine.

READ MORE: 'Never met anybody smarter': Trump gushes over Kim and Putin

Politico's full report is available at this link.