(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday he will not be endorsing his former boss Donald Trump in the 2024 general election.
Appearing on Fox News, Pence said he “cannot in good conscience” back Trump as there are “profound differences” between their views on various issues.
Pence, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination, declined to reveal who he plans to vote for in November but he said he would “never” vote for President Joe Biden.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence said after being asked by Fox News host Martha MacCallum.
Pence slammed Trump for pursuing an agenda that is “at odds with the conservative agenda” the two abided by during their administration.
“Look, I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration,” Pence said. “It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world.”
“That being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues, not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on Jan. 6,” Pence said.
Pence said Trump’s stance on the national deficit, his position on abortion and most recently his reversal on the TikTok ban are among his reasons for not endorsing his former running mate, in addition to what unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump’s pressure on Pence to reject the 2020 election results (which Pence said endangered his family’s life on Jan. 6) prompted a rift in their relationship, and prompted Pence to argue on the campaign trial that his efforts to overturn his election loss should be disqualifying.
Asked who he plans to vote for in the general election, Pence said, “Like most Americans, I’m going to keep my vote to myself.”
“I would never vote for Joe Biden,” Pence said when asked if he would vote for Biden. “How I vote when that curtain closes, that will be for me.”
The former vice president dodged the question of whether he’s looking to support a third-party candidate.
“What I can tell you is that where I’m going to spend any energy is on making sure that my fellow Republicans, independents and many Democrats around the country know that it is a commitment to a limited government in the Constitution, a commitment to a strong defense and American leadership in the world, a commitment to traditional values,” he said.
Pence also dismissed any possibility of his running as a third-party candidate.
Pence acknowledged the fact that Republican primary voters have made their choice clear, and said he plans to spend the rest of the year pushing for “what we should be for.”
“Republican primary voters have made it clear, Martha, who they’re for in this election,” Pence said. “What I’m going to spend the rest of the year is talking about what we should be for – the broad mainstream conservative agenda that has defined our party and always made America strong and prosperous and free.”
After Pence suspended his campaign in October last year, Trump urged his former running mate to endorse him, saying he “made him vice president” and that he “had a successful presidency.”
Trump also complained about “disloyalty” in politics, a topic Trump had frequently mentioned earlier this election cycle while attacking former 2024 rivals like Floria Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
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