former vice president mike pence he said he expected donald trump would “come” to accept the result of the 2020 presidential election and realize that he did not have the authority to undo Joe Bidenthe victory of
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Pence said he thought Trump would eventually understand that he was “misled by so-called legal experts who had misguided him about the role that he thought I had, and still think I had that day.
“I always hoped that he would accept this issue because I believe that no one who puts himself above the Constitution should be president of the United States,” Pence said.
Trump pressured Pence to annul Biden’s victory during the joint session of Congress to certify the result, which the then vice president chaired. This infuriated Trump, who criticized Pence on Twitter for not having the courage to push his agenda. Many Trump supporters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” as they walked the halls of the Capitol looking for him during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
However, Pence, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has not ruled out pardoning Trump if he is found guilty of mishandling classified documents, and if Pence becomes president, but repeated that the question is “premature.” .
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges.
“I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary assume the president will be found guilty.” he saidarguing that there are still many unknowns.
“At the end of the day, it saddens me that we are now in this moment,” Pence continued.
Pence has had a hard time defining his position on Trump’s impeachment. He told The Wall Street Journal that “I can’t defend” the accusations facing Trump, but previously warned the Department of Justice against pressing charges in the case.
During the “Meet the Press” interview, Pence also had trouble identifying his voter base and how it differs from Trump’s.
An average of the latest national polls through Saturday shows that Trump remains the favorite in the race at 53.5%, while support for Pence sits at 5.6%. according to FiveThirtyEight.
The former vice president said people across the country thanked him for his service to the country, and especially for his stand on January 6.
Pence dodged a follow-up question from NBC’s Chuck Todd about how many of those people were Trump voters, saying: “I know the people in our movement and I can honestly tell you they are some of the best people in this country. . They love America and they love our Constitution.”
Pence also tried to criticize his former boss for his “ambiguous message” about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I can’t even say who I would rather see win the war in Ukraine.” penny said. “I think the United States needs to get behind the brave fighters in the Ukraine, give them the resources faster than Joe Biden, to take the fight to the Russians and repel this invasion.”
Trump has not condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade his neighbor, saying the conflict would not have even started if he were president.
“I could fix this war in Ukraine in 24 hours, but you can only do it from the presidential seat.” told Fox News In May.