Mike Pence on whether he could support Trump in 2024:
“I believe that anyone who puts himself above the Constitution should never be President or ever be President again. As I said, I hope that the President comes around on understanding what our duty was that day. But I’m going to support the Republican nominee for President of the United States.”
In an interview with "New Hampshire Today’s" Chris Ryan, former Vice President and recently announced presidential candidate, Mike Pence discusses his reasons for entering the 2024 presidential race; after denouncing his former boss for putting himself above the Constitution on January 6, Pence rationalizes how he would support the Republican presidential nominee, even if it is Trump; and defends his pro-life position.
Vice President Pence’s run for president is rather historic; and, in a way, he has also put himself in an awkward position. Not since Vice President John Nance Garner ran against FDR in 1940, have we had a Vice President run against a President under whom he had served.
Now that he is running for President in his own right, Mike Pence will want to take credit for some of the accomplishments of the Trump-Pence Administration; and, perhaps, he might want to distance himself from President Trump in some other instances.
Drawing on his experience as a six term Congressman, as Governor of Indiana, and as Vice President, Mike Pence feels that he is the right person to change the country’s direction.
“I think this country is in a lot of trouble. . . This is a moment when those of us that have a lifetime of experience to bring to bear on turning the country around have a duty to step forward and try.”
Because the Republican National Committee requires all candidates to support the party’s nominee, Vice President Pence, who, in an obvious reference to President Trump, has stated that anyone who has placed himself above the Constitution should never be President, is in a tricky situation.
When he was asked how he can separate supporting a possible Trump candidacy and his statements about the importance of upholding the Constitution, Mike Pence gave several rationalizations.
“I believe that anyone who puts himself above the Constitution should never be President or ever be President again. As I said, I hope that the President comes around on understanding what our duty was that day. But I’m going to support the Republican nominee for President of the United States.”
Additionally, Mike Pence is hopeful that Republican primary voters will surprise the pundits and experts and choose him or someone other than President Trump.
In the last segment of the interview, Vice President Pence addressed how his candidacy will be received by voters who are pro-choice or those who are concerned with LGBTQ issues. He makes no apologies for being pro-life and believes that the tide of opinion is turning away from an abortion on demand position.
“I’ll always stand for the values that I believe in. I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order, but I’ll always try and express those positions with the gentleness and respect that the American people would expect.”