Donald Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, announced Friday that he would not support the Republican billionaire in the November presidential election.
“It will not surprise you, I am not going to support Donald Trump this year
,” against Joe Biden, he declared during an interview with
Fox News.
Evangelical Christian, fierce opponent of abortion, Mike Pence helped Donald Trump conquer the religious right by being his running mate during the 2016 presidential campaign. After years of unwavering loyalty, he changed his tone following the The assault on the Capitol, which shook American democracy on January 6, 2021.
That day, Mike Pence led, as vice-president, the session in Congress, during which elected officials had to certify Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. Although he only had one role protocol, Donald Trump had insisted that he refuse to validate the election of the Democrat.
Partisans wanted to “hang” him
The former governor of Indiana did not comply, which earned him strong enmity among the billionaire's supporters.
Entering the Capitol by force, some called to
“hang”
Mike Pence, who had to hide in a hurry.
Since then, he has judged that the president's words had been
“irresponsible”
and had
“put him in danger”
.
In June 2023, Mike Pence ran against him in the Republican primaries.
But he had to throw in the towel, even before the first ballots, for lack of support.