45th President Donald Trump suggested that former Vice President Mike Pence would not be his running mate in 2024, assuming he decides to run for the White House a third time.
“I don’t think the people would accept it,” Trump told the Washington Examiner in an interview earlier this week. The conservative publication says it interviewed the 45th president from his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end,” said Trump.
“We had a very good relationship,” he added, but “I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”
This runs contrary to claims made by Pence, who says that he continues to enjoy a close relationship with his former boss.
Trump referred to the 2020 election challenge. On January 6, 2021, prior to the civil unrest, many conservatives hoped Pence would seize on the legal theory that posited it was his responsibility to verify the authenticity and integrity of all electoral college votes.
“All of my focus is on 2022”
– Mike Pence
Thus, some say Pence could have tossed votes from states with credible allegations of widespread voter fraud.
Pence disagreed, and suggested instead that his role was merely a perfunctory, symbolic act that was necessary to install a new administration.
While Trump has not officially declared his candidacy for 2024 – he has indicated that Federal Elections Commission regulations are preventing him – he has established himself as the likely front runner in that race, with only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis managing to score double digits in most polls that also feature Trump.
At the same time, Pence has positioned himself for a presidential run in 2024, likely putting him in a head-to-head contest against Trump.
He has spoken conservative events where donors pay large sums to sit close to the stage, including New Hampshire, an early voting primary state considered critical for Republicans seeking their party’s presidential nomination.
While Trump has all but confirmed he will run in 2024, Pence has demurred when asked by the media.
“To be honest with you, all of my focus is on 2022,” Pence recently told the Associated Press. He added that “in 2023” he and his staffers would “look around and we’ll go where we’re called.”
