What Mike Pence Just Said About His Relationship With Donald Trump Today
There was a time when Mike Pence's loyalty to Donald Trump was impenetrable. During their four years in office, the vice president defended some of Trump's most controversial statements, and rarely, if ever, criticized any of his decisions, according to The Washington Post. However, they became largely estranged in the final days of the administration — particularly because Trump wanted Pence to support his untrue voter fraud claims and use his senate powers to reject the electoral votes of states that he lost against Joe Biden, per The New York Times. Pence declined.
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution," Trump tweeted in response to Pence's decision at the time (via People). The former president's Twitter account was later banned and never reactivated.
But the politicians' relationship also changed following the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol when pro-Trump supporters broke in. According to The Hill, Trump never called Pence — who was inside the building with his family — that day or in the days that followed to make sure he was okay.
Keep scrolling to read what Pence had to say about his relationship with Trump today, including why things might not ever be the same.
Pence said he doesn't think he and Trump will ever see eye to eye
On June 3, Mike Pence discussed the January 6 riot attack on the U.S. Capitol during a speech and admitted that he and former President Donald Trump may never see "eye to eye" on the event that took the lives of five people. He described the attack as a "dark day in the history of the United States Capitol." He said (via Axios), "You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don't know if we'll ever see eye to eye on that day."
Still, Pence praised everything Trump "accomplished" while he was in office. "I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years," he said. "And I will not allow Democrats or their allies in the media to use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans, or allow Democrats or their allies in the media to distract our attention from a new administration intent on dividing our country to advance their radical agenda."
He added, "My fellow Republicans, for our country, for our future, for our children and our grandchildren, we must move forward, united."