Pence won’t back Trump for White House
Ex-Vice President Mike Pence Friday announced he won’t back former President Trump in the 2024 race for the White House.
The onetime loyal lieutenant, who broke with Trump over the effort to overturn their loss in the 2020 election, said in an interview that he won’t back the presumptive GOP nominee’s comeback battle.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing President Trump this year,” Pence told Fox News. “There are profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.”
“I cannot in good conscience endorse him,” Pence added.
Pence (photo) dropped out of the GOP presidential primary race last fall when his campaign fizzled before any votes were cast.
The Indiana conservative said he doesn’t plan to make public his 2024 choice but said he remains a staunch Republican and ruled out voting for President Biden.
“I would never vote for Joe Biden,” Pence said.
Trump wrapped up the nomination last week after sweeping all of the early voting and Super Tuesday states. Most of Trump’s former opponents have endorsed him, although Nikki Haley, the final holdout, said Trump has to earn her support.
Pence did not explain why he is breaking the pledge he and other Republican presidential candidates made to endorse the eventual winner of their primary race.
Pence, who was hunted down for assassination on Jan. 6 by Trump supporters howling “Hang Mike Pence,” downplayed the importance of Trump’s attack on democracy in his decision.
He ticked off a list of policy disputes including Trump’s soft line on the national debt, backing away from a pro-life stance on abortion rights and even coddling China with his flip-flop on TikTok.
“Donald Trump is articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on,” Pence said.