Mike Pence Reveals The Last Time He Spoke With Donald Trump

Oh, how quickly life changes. There was a time when Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States, was his ex-boss Donald Trump's most vocal supporter. After a cabinet meeting near the tail-end of their first year in the Oval Office, Pence praised the former president in a two-minute speech, gushing, "You've restored American credibility on the world stage. We're standing with our allies, we're standing up to our enemies. I'm deeply humbled as your vice president," according to Independent. Trump, in turn, praised his dutiful vice president, saying of Pence in 2018, "He's been a trooper. He's been with me from as soon as I won the primaries. I could not be happier," CNN reported.

Then came the duo's loss to Joe Biden in the November 2020 presidential election — and the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots that ensued. Trump has not hidden his displeasure with Pence's apparent lack of support in stopping Biden's vote certification on Capitol Hill that day. The ex-president, on the December 2021 kickoff of his "History Tour" with Bill O'Reilly, even said he thought Pence was "mortally wounded" by his actions — or lack thereof. "Mike should have sent those crooked votes back to the legislatures and you would have had a different result in the election," Trump said, per CNN. "I think he's been mortally wounded, frankly, because I see the reaction he's getting from people."

While many have speculated, Pence just dropped a bombshell about where his relationship with the former POTUS stands today.

Although he insisted that it was a friendly last interaction, Mike Pence revealed that he hasn't spoken to Donald Trump for almost a year, hinting that the long lapse in communication is due to the Capitol Hill riots of January 6, 2021. As Pence told Fox News' Jesse Watters on January 27, "We talked last summer. And you know I've said many times, it was difficult, January 6 was difficult. It was a tragic day in the life of the nation." He added, "I know I did my duty under the Constitution of the United States, but the president and I sat down in the days that followed that, we spoke about it, talked through it, we parted amicably." 

Pence was ferociously skewered by Trump and his supporters for refusing to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election. While people protesting the election results at the riots chanting "Hang Mike Pence," Trump told ABC News' Jonathan Karl in November 2021 — in audio the journalist shared exclusively with Axios — "I thought he was well protected, and I heard that he was in good shape." Trump added, "The people were very angry... It's common sense that you're supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? How can you pass a fraudulent vote to Congress?"

It seems at least some love has been lost in this once-strong bromance.