Status: 03/12/2023 12:20 p.m
For a long time, ex-Vice President Pence was loyal to Donald Trump, and he held back criticism for a long time. Now he has distanced himself from his former boss in an unprecedented way.
Former US Vice President Mike Pence has criticized his former boss Donald Trump for his behavior during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 like never before. “President Trump was wrong,” Pence said at the Gridiron Dinner with politicians and journalists. “His reckless words put my family and everyone who was in the Capitol that day at risk.”
On January 6, 2021, Pence had to officially confirm Trump’s election defeat in a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. Trump, however, demanded that Pence invalidate Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. Pence refused, citing the law.
After Trump urged supporters to “fight like devils,” an angry crowd stormed the Capitol, with some shouting, “Hang Mike Pence!”
Pence: No right to overturn election
Pence once again clarified his role in confirming the election result. “I had no right to overturn the election,” he said. “I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Republicans are still debating their stance on the storming of the Capitol to this day. Some try to downplay the attack, others spread conspiracy theories about it. “Don’t kid yourself – what happened that day was a disgrace,” Pence said. “And it makes a mockery of decency to present it differently.”
Pence is considered a contender for the presidential nomination
Pence is considered a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024, but has not yet officially declared himself. Trump, on the other hand, has already thrown his hat in the ring.
At the Gridiron Dinner, politicians traditionally poke fun at each other – an opportunity that Pence didn’t miss either. Among other things, he joked about secret documents that were found in Trump’s private rooms. “I read that some of those secret papers that were discovered at Mar-a-Lago were in the President’s Bible. That proves he had absolutely no idea where they were,” Pence said.