Former President Donald Trump recently suggested that former Vice President Mike Pence won’t be his running mate if Trump pursues a 2024 run.
What he said: “I don’t think the people would accept it,” Trump told The Washington Examiner in an interview from Mar-a-Lago.
- “Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end. We had a very good relationship,” Trump said. “I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”
Details: Trump suggested the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election might be the reason for him choosing another running mate.
- Trump had asked Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election results during the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College, according to NPR.
- Pence refused to overturn the results.
What he said: “President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone,” Pence said back in February during a speech at the conservative Federalist Society in Florida, per The Associated Press.
The bigger picture: There is a slew of potential Republican candidates for the 2024 presidential election who could end up being running mates for Trump, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
- Pence is considered a potential candidate for the 2024 election, too.