Former Vice President Mike Pence has made a surprising announcement, stating that he cannot endorse presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential campaign. Pence’s decision represents a significant departure from his previous alignment with Trump and marks a notable break from their political partnership.
In an interview on Fox News, Pence expressed his inability to support Trump due to what he perceives as a misalignment between Trump’s agenda and the conservative principles they governed on during their time together. Pence highlighted several areas of disagreement, including Trump’s stance on abortion, national debt, and his handling of issues like TikTok.
Despite his pride in their joint administration’s record, Pence asserted that Trump has deviated from conservative values, prompting his decision not to endorse Trump for the upcoming campaign. Pence refrained from revealing his choice for the 2024 general election, stating that he will keep his vote private. However, he made it clear that he would not vote for President Joe Biden and implied that he would not support a third-party candidate either.
Pence’s decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny of his actions during the certification of the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021. While ceremonially overseeing Congress’ certification of Biden’s win, Pence broke with Trump by refusing to overturn the election results. Pence later criticized Trump’s rhetoric on that day, which he deemed as reckless and potentially endangering to himself and others at the US Capitol.
In his own presidential campaign last year, Pence warned against the allure of populism, cautioning Republicans against embracing Trump’s brand of politics and its imitators.
Following his departure from the vice presidency, Pence has been active in promoting conservative policies through his group, Advancing American Freedom, committing $20 million to further these initiatives.