Donald Trump (L); Mike Pence.Photo: Getty (2)
Former Vice PresidentMike Pencesaid this week he hasn’t spoken to his old bossDonald Trumpsince last summer — a signal that the rift that seemingly stems from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots shows no sign of abating.
“We talked last summer,” Pence told Fox Newshost Jesse WattersonJesse Watters PrimetimeThursday. “And you know I’ve said many times, it was difficult, Jan. 6 was difficult. It was a tragic day in the life of the nation.”
He continued: “I know I did my duty under the Constitution of the United States, but the president and I sat down in the days that followed that, we spoke about it, talked through it, we parted amicably.”
On Jan. 6, 2021, a group of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol where Congress had convened and interrupted an electoral vote count with hopes of somehow reversing Trump’s loss.
During the mayhem of the riots, Pence,Second Lady Karen Pence, their daughterCharlotte Pence Bondand staff membersabsconded into a hiding placewith seconds to spare thanks to the help of Secret Service agents.
In their bookPeril, authors Robert Costa and Bob Woodward wrote that Trump threatened to sever his relationship with Pence if the latter refused to illegally swing the election.
Mike Pence.Scott Eisen/Getty
Trump has since said he wasn’t concerned about Pence, even when some of the former president’s supporters chanted abouthanging the then-vice president.
“I thought he was well protected, and I heard that he was in good shape. No, because I had heard he was in very good shape,” Trump toldABC News' Jonathan Karl, who asked if he worried for Pence’s safety during an interview for his bookBetrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show.
“Well, the people were very angry,” Trump replied. “It’s common sense. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? How can you pass a fraudulent vote to Congress?”
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Since leaving the White House, Pence, a former Indiana lawmaker, has been rumored to be mulling his own run for the presidency in 2024, though he hasn’t confirmed that speculation.
In 2021, Pence — who was a conservative radio host before he got into politics —launched a podcastcovering issues familiar to Republican voters andannouncedplans to release an autobiography in 2023, part of a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.
CNN reported the deal was for between $3 and $4 million.
source: people.com
