Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Friday that he will not support his former boss and two-time running partner in the 2024 general election, citing major gaps between the two men that have emerged since they left office.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence told Martha MacCallum on Fox News. Pence previously waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2024.
“Look, I’m really proud of the record of our administration. “It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, safer, and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world,” Pence stated. “But that being said, during my presidential campaign I made clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.”
Former President Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the November election, resulting in a rematch with President Biden.
Pence has been clear for over two years that he does not have the authority to reject the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, despite Trump’s demand to do so. In launching his candidacy, Pence claimed Trump’s actions on January 6 were disqualifying.
The former vice president told Fox News that his differences with Trump extend beyond that day, citing the former president’s lack of a plan to address the national debt, his evasive comments about abortion restrictions, and his recent opposition to a TikTok ban, which their administration pursued in 2020.
“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 said in a statement. “And that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.”
Pence announced that he will not vote for Biden.
Pence was an unwaveringly loyal vice president to Trump throughout their time in office, but he became one of the former president’s most vocal detractors during his 2024 GOP primary campaign, which ended in October.
The former vice president regularly warned the party against following the “siren song” of populism and questioned Trump’s commitment to conservative policy goals.
Pence joins former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as ex-challengers to Trump’s nomination who have yet to embrace him.
Others who ran against Trump, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (R), have all supported the former president.
Last month, Pence’s lobbying group revealed plans to spend $20 million shaping the conservative agenda and electing conservative candidates.