Washington DC – Former US Vice President Mike Pence said that he will not endorse his erstwhile running mate Donald Trump for the upcoming 2024 US Presidential elections. Pence emphasised that Trump's attitude towards the devastating January 6 Capitol riots was part of the reason why he won't endorse the former US President. During the interview with Fox News, Pence recalled that Trump told his aides that his former VP “deserved to be hanged”. The former vice president instantly became Trump's foe after he refused to block certification of  Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.

“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence told Fox News on Friday. The proclamation of the former Indiana governor was contradictory to his previous assertion where he stated that he would support the eventual Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential elections. Other than his own issues with Trump, Pence placed more emphasis on policies pursued by the business-mogul-turned politician. “I am incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure, and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world,” the former vice president averred.  “But that being said, during my presidential campaign I made it clear that there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues, and not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6," he furthered. 

The veteran Conservative politician also claimed that Trump “walked away” from confronting the national debt. “As I have watched his candidacy unfold, I’ve seen him walking away from our commitment to confronting the national debt. I’ve seen him starting to shy away from a commitment to the sanctity of human life," Pence explained. 

Pence says Trump's agenda is at odds with conservative agenda

During his interview with Fox News, Pence highlighted that the former US President's agenda goes against the conservative agenda. He cited Trump’s “reversal” on “getting tough on China and supporting our administration’s effort to force the sale of … TikTok”. “What I can tell you is that in each of these cases, Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years,” Pence averred. “And that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign," he added. Barring Pence and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, most of Trump's Republican rivals have endorsed Trump's nomination. However, during the interview, Pence made it clear that he would not vote for Biden. “I’m a Republican,” he said. “How I vote when that curtain closes, that’ll be for me.”