Former US vice president Mike Pence appears to have burned all bridges with Donald Trump. At a function on Saturday, Pence harshly criticised Trump for his role in the January 6 US Capitol riots and said history will hold the former president accountable for being wrong.
“President Trump was wrong,” said Pence. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Pence previously told the congressional committee that investigated the riots that Trump pressured him to overturn his 2020 election defeat despite being repeatedly told it was illegal to do so. After the refusal, some rioters, who entered the US Capitol corridors chanted that they wanted to ‘hang Mike Pence’.
The House committee in its final report also stated that “the President of the United States had riled up a mob that hunted his own Vice President”.
Pence is currently embroiled in a race with Trump to secure Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election. Experts believe his criticism of Trump is an attempt to sway the fence-sitters within the GOP to vote for him.
“Make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace. And it mocks decency to portray it any other way,” added Pence.
This is not the first instance when Pence has opened a front against Trump in recent times. When quizzed if he would support Trump in the 2024 election, Pence straight up refused to do his former boss’ bidding.
“There might be somebody else I prefer more. Ihave every confidence that the Republican Party is going to sort out leadership.”
(With inputs from agencies)
