- Former VP Mike Pence continues to dodge questions on whether he thinks Donald Trump is fit for office.
- Trump announced his 2024 presidential bid last week but got a muted GOP response with few endorsements.
- Pence is said to be considering a 2024 run himself, though he has not yet committed.
Former Vice President Mike Pence dodged questions about Donald Trump’s character and fitness for office in a recent wide-ranging interview with NBC News following the former president’s 2024 announcement.
While Pence addressed the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 – during which rioters called for him to be hanged while Trump privately said “Mike deserves it” – he stopped short of clearly stating whether he thinks Trump is fit to serve.
He instead focused on the policies of their administration during his conversation with Chuck Todd in a “Meet the Press” interview that aired Sunday on NBC News.
“Is he fit to serve as President of the United States for another four years?” Todd asked directly, and repeatedly, during the interview.
“I really do believe that’s a decision for the American people,” Pence replied. “President Trump has now announced his intention to seek reelection.”
“Is it your opinion? Don’t you think your opinion matters to the American people?” Todd asked. “I mean, and how about this? The fact that you may run, are you sending that message without saying it?”
“I’ll keep you posted on whether I’m going to run or not. But I do think we’ll have better choices,” Pence said. “But what I won’t do is I won’t join those that want to dismiss the four years of our administration and all that we accomplished for the American people.”
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 20, 2022
Trump launched his 2024 bid for the presidency last week and received a lackluster response from the GOP. A few party members have committed to endorsing him following disappointing midterm election results for the GOP, particularly for Trump-backed candidates.
“I haven’t really followed it, and so I can’t speak to who’s come alongside the President,” Pence said when Todd asked about the lack of enthusiasm and endorsements for Trump.
Pence added that there was “great tension” when he told Trump that as vice president, he “did not have the authority to return or reject electoral votes when the House convened to count the electoral votes for President and Vice President.”
“I think I’m very clear in saying that the administration did not end well. That I took a strong stand,” Pence said. “But when it came down to the peaceful transfer of power and doing my duty on the Constitution of the United States, we had the tragic day of January 6th and its aftermath. And all of that in totality is the President’s record and the record the American people will decide upon.”
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