USA
Former Trump deputy Mike Pence withdraws his presidential bid
Mike Pence in Las Vegas
© Frederic J. Brown / AFP
Former US Vice President Mike Pence no longer wants to become President of the United States.
The former US Vice President Mike Pence has withdrawn from the Republican presidential race. “This is not my time,” he said at an event in Las Vegas on Saturday. “After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to suspend my presidential campaign.”
Mike Pence broke with Donald Trump
Pence was former US President Donald Trump’s deputy for years. He is currently the high favorite in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in next year’s election. Incumbent Joe Biden wants to run again for the Democrats.
Pence entered the presidential race in June and challenged his former boss among the Republicans. The arch-conservative politician and evangelical Christian was a loyal deputy to Trump during his four years in the White House. However, the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 led to a break between the two Republicans.
At the time, Pence had refused Trump’s demand to block confirmation of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election in Congress. Since then, Pence has repeatedly criticized Trump and declared that the right-wing populist should not be allowed to become president again.