Donald Trump tosses Mike Pence aside as a 2024 running mate
Former President Donald Trump has ruled out picking ex-Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate if he wins the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. It would be Trump's fourth White House bid if he chooses to run, however, neither man has formally announced their candidacies.
“I don’t think the people would accept" putting Pence on the 2024 ticket, Trump said on Tuesday in an exclusive interview with The Washington Examiner.
Pence has emerged as a prominent anti-Trump voice inside conservative political circles in the year since their term ended. He has expressed staunch opposition to Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen.
The former veep has also condemned Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying earlier this month at a party fundraiser that there is "no room" in the GOP for "apologists for Putin. There is only room for champions of freedom."
But it was Pence's refusal to cooperate with Trump's January 6th, 2021 coup that effectively ended their relationship.
Pence is a “really fine person," said Trump. “Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end. We had a very good relationship. I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”
Trump, who still insists that he defeated President Joe Biden, revealed that he still harbors resentment toward his second in command. Pence has repeatedly refuted Trump's claim that he had the constitutional authority to throw out the results of the contest, which Biden won in a landslide.
“Mike thought he was going to be a human conveyor belt, that no matter how fraudulent the votes, you have to send them up to the Old Crow,” Trump said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
“But that turned out to be wrong. Because now, as you know, they are feverishly working to try and get it so that the vice president cannot do what Mike said he couldn’t do," Trump continued, adding, "I was disappointed in Mike."
