Mike Pence said Friday that he will not support former President Donald Trump for president in 2024, months after the former president ended his presidential bid.
“It's no surprise that I'm not supporting Donald Trump this year,” Pence said of the former vice presidential candidate in an interview on Fox News this afternoon. “Donald Trump has pursued and articulated policies that are at odds with the conservative policies we have been under for four years. That is why I, in good conscience, support Donald Trump in this campaign. It is not possible.”
Trump's former running mate said he and Trump disagree on a range of issues, although the president is “incredibly proud of the performance of our administration.”
“During the presidential campaign, President Trump and I made clear that we have significant differences on a variety of issues, not just regarding the constitutional duties we exercised on January 6th,” Pence said. said.
Mr. Pence cited differences between the two sides, including attitudes on the national debt, abortion rights, and Mr. Trump's reversal of a bill that would have required the sale of TikTok, whose parent company is China-based ByteDance.
President Trump's press secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
President Trump has drawn criticism from abortion opponents after refusing to support the federal government's abortion ban and calling Florida's six-week ban “too draconian.”
Despite the criticism, President Trump claimed credit for overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Supreme Court that voted to end the precedent that held abortion was a constitutional right. He emphasized his role in nominating the three people.
The former president earlier this week reversed course on a bill that would have banned TikTok unless it severed its relationship with ByteDance, a deal that had prompted national security concerns on Capitol Hill. President Trump said Monday that he now opposes banning the video-sharing social media platform “because there are a lot of people who like it and talk about it.”
During last year's presidential campaign, Mr. Pence suggested in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press” that Mr. Trump was “moving away” from conservative principles, including “a clear commitment to the right to life.” It accused Trump of having a “clear commitment to the right to life.” His position on the national debt is “same as Joe Biden.”
Many of his 2024 rivals have backed Trump since ending their candidacy. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed Trump after he called off his candidacy after the Iowa caucuses in January. Days later, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis endorsed the former president after suspending his candidacy in his own presidential race.
Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.), a former presidential candidate and potential running mate, also supported Trump's candidacy.
However, there are no others in line after the presumptive candidate. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who ended her presidential bid this month, does not support Trump and earlier this month told the Republican National Committee on NBC News' “Meet the Press” that she supported the Republican Party. He said he was no longer bound by his promise to do so. presidential candidate. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ruled out voting for Trump, but added that he “can't imagine” voting for President Joe Biden.
President Joe Biden's re-election campaign took note of Pence's comments and criticized other former administration officials who served in the Trump administration but did not support him, including former Attorney General Bill Barr.
“Those who worked with him at the most senior levels of Donald Trump's administration believe that he is too dangerous, too selfish, and too extreme to ever lead our country again. We agree,” a campaign spokesperson said. Ammar Moussa said in a statement.
