Former Vice presidnet Mike Pence said " he cannot in good conscience " endorse presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, a stunning repudiation of his former running mate and president with whom he served before President Joe Biden took over power after the 2020 election.
In an interview with Fox News, Mike Pence told stated," Donald Trump is pursuing an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed during our four years. That's why i cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign."
The former vice president, after ending his own presidential bid in October withheld an endorsement in the 2024 Republican primary yet he had previously vowed to back the eventual GOP nominee.
Trump had wanted that his former Vice President endorse him saying " l choose him" but none the less concluded that that people can really be disloyal in politics.
While he said he is incredibly proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration, Pence argued that the former president has walked away from conservative issues pointing to Trump's stance on abortion, the U.S national debt and his reversal on TikTok.
" During my presidential campaign, l made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues with our differences being based on the constitutional differences that l exercised on January 6th, " Pence said on " The story with Martha MacCallum."
" As l have watched his candidacy unfold, l've seen him walking away from our committment to confronting national debt. l have seen him begin to shy away from the committment to the sanctity of human life" he added.
" l was even more shocked by last week on his reversal of getting tough on China and supporting our administration's efforts to force a sale of ByteDance's TikTok.
Pence did not reveal who he'll vote for in the 2024 general election saying that he'll keep his vote to himself.
He however said he'll "never vote" for President Joe Biden and he also suggested that he would not back a third party candidate.
Former Vice President Mike Pence fell out with his boss in his decesion not overturn the 2020 election results while he was ceremonially overseeing Congress' certification of Biden's win on January 6, 2021.
Pence later said Trump's reckless words that day were responsible for the mob that stormed the U.S Capitol building, breaching the guardline and endangering his family.
In his own presidential campaign last year, Pence warned Republicans of the " siren song of populism " from Trump annd his imitators.
Pence and his group, Advancing American Freedom. recently annouced that they're devoting $20 million to push conservative policies.
