From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Pence says he won’t endorse former boss Trump in 2024 US presidential race
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WASHINGTON — Former US vice president Mike Pence says he will not be backing Donald Trump as his old boss runs for a second term in the White House.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence says in an interview with Fox News.
US media calls the announcement a “bombshell” and “startling,” although in reality deep divisions have driven the two men apart since leaving office, and an endorsement would have been a surprise.
The pair became estranged after Trump tried to pressure Pence to help him overturn his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden, repeatedly attacking him on social media when he wouldn’t go along with the scheme.
After various attempts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election results failed, the then-president directed a mob of his supporters to march on the Capitol, where they ransacked the building as some chanted “Hang Mike Pence!”
Pence tells Fox News that Trump is “pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years.”
The 64-year-old’s comments come days after Trump secured enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in November.
Pence was one of Trump’s early rivals in the primary contest ahead of the 2024 election, although he quit the race last October after failing to poll in double figures.
The Times of Israel Community.