Ex-US Vice President Mike Pence wants to go to the White House

Mike Pence speaks during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House. © Evan Vucci/AP/dpa

For four years, Mike Pence was loyal to Donald Trump in the United States as vice president. Now the Republican wants to become president himself - and is challenging his former boss.

Washington - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence wants to become president of the United States. The Republican filed the necessary documents with the Federal Election Commission on Monday to apply for his party's candidacy in the 2024 election.

Pence's official announcement of the presidential bid is expected this Wednesday. The 63-year-old is also challenging his former boss Donald Trump (76), who wants to run again after his defeat in 2020. From 2017 to 2021, Pence had been his deputy. The two have a difficult relationship - and a mixed past together.

It was long expected that Pence would enter the presidential race. For months, he has publicly fueled speculation about this, most recently increasingly clearly. On Wednesday – on his 64th birthday – Pence will reportedly officially present his ambitions for the highest office in the state on all channels throughout the day: with the publication of a campaign video, an appearance in the state of Iowa and in the evening (local time) finally with a citizens' question time on the television channel CNN.

With his candidacy, Pence expands the field of Republican aspirants. The most prominent among them, besides Trump, are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. More are likely to follow. Who will be the official candidate in the end will be decided by an internal party primary. Less movement is to be expected among the Democrats. US President Joe Biden is running for re-election, and as an incumbent, he is unlikely to face serious competition from within his own ranks in the election campaign.

On the Republican side, Trump leads the field of candidates in polls. Pence is currently far behind. Due to his tenure as vice president, he has a high level of recognition, but he has to struggle with poor popularity ratings.

Pence sees himself as a "classic conservative" who wants to bring the Republican Party back to its roots. He is deeply religious, likes to talk a lot about religion, cultivates the image of the good public servant. For Trump, the evangelical Christian covered this important group of voters at the time. Pence also supports a nationwide ban on abortion, which is very important to many conservatives, especially on the outer fringe.

Relationship between Trump and Pence damaged after Capitol storming

For years, Pence appeared as a loyal companion of Trump. Far more than other vice presidents before him, he was eager to constantly praise his boss and put him on a pedestal of sorts. But at the latest in the turmoil after the 2020 presidential election, the relationship between the two was permanently damaged. Trump, who was voted out of office at the time, fought with all his might against his election defeat, also incited his supporters against Pence.

Trump supporters stormed the congressional seat on January 6, 2021, while the victory of Democrat Biden was to be confirmed there, chaired by Pence. Trump had claimed in the days before, among other things, that Pence could simply reject election results from individual states, which legal experts and the vice president considered illegitimate. During the storming of the Capitol, Trump tweeted that Pence "did not have the courage to do what should be done." Shouts of "Hang Pence" came from the mob. After the attack ended, Congress under Pence's chairmanship completed the certification of Biden's victory. Pence later described Trump's statements at the time and his behavior as dangerous.

Most recently, Pence again spoke moderately about his former boss. For example, he rejected an indictment of Trump for his role in the storming of the Capitol. "That would be incredibly divisive in a country and at a time when the American people want to see us heal," Pence said. On the same grounds, he defended Trump against charges of paying hush money to a star.

Pence in a dilemma

Overall, the Republican is in a dilemma: On the one hand, he has to praise the achievements of the joint government with Trump in order to highlight his own political record. On the other hand, he has to stand out from his old boss and make it clear to people why he now thinks he is the wrong person in the White House.

Other Republican presidential candidates also have to cope with the difficult balancing act of not scaring off the Trump fans at the grassroots level and at the same time presenting themselves as a better alternative to the ex-president. This is all the more true for Mike Pence, who loyally stood by Trump's side for four years during his memorable term in office. Dpa