Mike Pence reveals he’s not endorsing Trump for president: ‘It should come as no surprise’
Former vice president Mike Pence announced that he would not endorse former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in 2024, in an interview with Fox News on Friday.
Mr Pence’s words come after Mr Trump secured enough delegates to become the Republican presidential nominee.
Host Martha MacCallum asked Mr Pence whether he would be voting for his former boss.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Mr Pence said after highlighting conservative accomplishments of the Trump administration.
“But that being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear that there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues, and not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6.”
Mr Pence, who served as vice president from 2017 until 2021, notably broke with Mr Trump after he refused to overturn the 2020 election results ahead of the January 6 riot. During the insurrection at the US Capitol, Mr Trump’s supporters could be heard yelling: “Hang Mike Pence.” He did not reveal whom he would vote for.
“I’m going to keep my vote to myself. I would never vote for Joe Biden,” he said. “How I vote when that curtain closes, that’ll be for me.”
Mr Pence, who frequently said “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,” added that he would not stage a third-party run for president. “I’m a Republican, Martha,” he said.
Mr Pence, who staged his own presidential run but suspended it before the primaries, also criticised Mr Trump for walking away from conservative values, specifically on spending and abortion.
“I mean, as I have watched his candidacy unfold, I've seen him walking away from our commitment to confronting the national debt, I've seen him starting to shy away from a commitment to the sanctity of human life,” he said.
Mr Pence specifically criticised how Mr Trump reversed his position on TikTok - from signing an executive order to ban the app because of its ownership by ByteDance, which is based in China, to opposing a ban.
“And this last week is his reversal on getting tough on China, and supporting our administration's effort to force a sale of ByteDance TikTok,” he said.
The House of Representative overwhelmingly voted 352-65 on a piece of legislation that would require ByteDance to sell TikTok or else have it banned in the United States. Only 15 Republicans voted against the legislation, despite the fact Mr Trump opposes it.
