Former Vice President Mike Pence has stirred up anger among MAGA supporters with his recent announcement that he will not be endorsing former President Donald Trump as the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee for president in the upcoming election.
During a recent interview with Fox News, Vice President Pence expressed his pride in his record alongside President Trump. However, he made it clear that he will not be endorsing his former running mate in this year’s election. Pence, who ended his own presidential campaign in October due to a lack of substantial Republican support, emphasized that his decision should not come as a surprise.
“It should not be surprising that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence stated. “When I ran for president, I made it abundantly clear that there were significant differences between myself and President Trump on a variety of matters.”
“I cannot endorse Donald Trump in this campaign,” asserted the speaker, emphasizing that Trump’s agenda diverges from the conservative one they upheld during their tenure. The speaker firmly believes that Trump’s pursuits and articulations are not aligned with the principles they governed on for four years.
On Friday, Newsweek sent an email to Trump’s office seeking comment.
Trump supporters on social media expressed their disapproval and anger towards Pence’s remarks, despite the strained relationship between the former president and Pence since 2021.
“Former Vice-President Mike Pence couldn’t even make it to Iowa,” remarked David Giglio, a former Republican congressional candidate who failed in two attempts. Sharing his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), Giglio expressed his belief that Pence has become completely irrelevant. In contrast, Giglio showed his support for Trump’s potential run in 2024 and beyond.
“Zzzzz,” exclaimed Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union.
Some people expressed their admiration for Pence, while others had contrasting responses to his decision not to endorse.
“@Shabooyah4 expressed admiration for Mike Pence’s integrity, stating that he possesses more of it than most individuals within the Republican Party.”
Justin Kanew, the founder of left-wing news outlet The Tennessee Holler, expressed his surprise at the recent turn of events. In a social media post, he remarked, “This actually does come as a surprise. It was genuinely unclear if being almost hung was a dealbreaker.”
Progressive journalist David Corn posted that it was a brave move for Pence to withhold an endorsement of a guy who almost got him killed.
Since losing the 2020 election, Pence and Trump have been at odds. The former president has repeatedly criticized his former VP for not meeting his impossible demand to overturn President Biden’s win during the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, which certified the election result.
The relationship between the two men has been on a downward spiral ever since. Despite Trump’s request for Pence’s endorsement after dropping out of the presidential race last year, the former vice president was warned during a rally in Las Vegas that Trump would perceive him as “very disloyal” if he didn’t comply.
According to Trump, it appears that everyone who departs from his administration ends up endorsing him. He specifically mentions that he is unsure about Mike Pence endorsing him, but believes that he should. Trump points to his successful presidency and Pence’s role as vice president as reasons why he should endorse him.
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