Former Vice President Mike Pence announced this week that he would not endorse former President Donald Trump. Pence made the announcement regarding his former runner-up after previously promising to support him during his brief campaign for president last year.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year. Look, I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world,” Pence said.
“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 January 6. As I have watched his candidacy unfold, I’ve seen him walking away from our commitment to confronting the national debt. I’ve seen him starting to shy away from a commitment to the sanctity of human life,” said the former vice president.
Pence made the announcement during a Fox News interview Friday.
The former vice president was critical of Trump’s role during the Jan. 6, 2021 protest at the Capitol, arguing that Trump put himself above the Constitution.
Pence wrote in a statement that he served “four great years with President Trump.” He said that the Trump administration “provided conservative solutions to many important issues facing our nation.”
However, Pence wrote that he saw “the former President turn away from our conservative agenda. Our differences go beyond upholding my oath to the Constitution on January 6th. The former President’s latest reversal on the Communist Chinese ownership and control of TikTok is just one of the many breaking points I’ve witnessed these past few years.”
Written statement from Mike Pence:
"I was honored to serve four great years with President Trump. We provided conservative solutions to many important issues facing our nation from appointing judges that defend the Constitution and the rule of law to our unwavering support for… https://t.co/9D01Ig6SZa
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) March 15, 2024
Trump demanded that the Chinese company ByteDance divest its ownership stake in the social media platform during his time in office. However, earlier this month the former president announced his opposition to a bipartisan bill that would remove Chinese ownership of TikTok.
“Given these deep differences, I cannot in good conscience publicly endorse President Trump. The conservative movement is coming to a crossroads,” Pence wrote.
“I intend to go forward fighting for the foundational conservative principles our movement has always extolled – freedom, free markets and free enterprise, human life and dignity, a strong national defense, fiscal responsibility and leading the world against our existential threats from China and the other axis of evil countries that are out to destroy our nation and our culture,” Pence wrote in his statement.
