Former Vice President Mike Pence is dumping disgraced Donald Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that he will not be endorsing Donald Trump for reelection in the 2024 presidential race.

Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president for four years, cited significant differences in policy and approach that have emerged between them since leaving office.

“Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years, and that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign, said Pence during an interview on Friday with Fox News.

Pence highlighted several areas of disagreement, including their stances on the national debt, abortion rights, and Trump’s handling of issues like the sale of TikTok.

He expressed pride in the accomplishments of their administration but emphasized that his own presidential campaign had made clear the profound differences between him and Trump on various issues.

The former vice president’s decision not to endorse Trump underscores the rift that has developed between the two men, particularly after Pence’s refusal to reject the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, when Republicans hoped to stage a coup d’etat.

Pence has since criticized Trump’s actions on that day and questioned his commitment to conservative policy goals.

Pence blamed Trump for endangering his family “and all those serving at the Capitol” on Jan. 6 in a memoir released in 2022.

In “So Help Me God,” Pence recounted the former president’s effort to push him to overturn the results of the 2020 election and shared his account of the day thousands of rioters stormed the Capitol, with some chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”

“They had come to protest the result of the election and to prevent Congress from fulfilling its responsibility to open and count the Electoral College votes,” Pence wrote. “And, as I later learned, many had come looking for me.”

Pence’s latest announcement comes as Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming election, setting the stage for a potential rematch with President Joe Biden.

However, Pence made it clear that he would also “never vote” for Biden, signaling his continued alignment with conservative values despite his differences with the man who tried to overthrow American democracy.

The rift between Pence and Trump has been evident for some time, with Pence emerging as one of Trump’s most vocal critics within the Republican Party.

Other former allies who became failed challengers to Trump, such as Chris Christie and Nikki Haley, have also refrained from endorsing him for the nomination.

Pence’s decision not to endorse Trump is unlikely to have significant implications within the GOP.

Pence’s advocacy group says it raised $20 million for shaping the conservative agenda and supporting like-minded candidates suggesting that he remains a respected figure among conservatives but nothing has diminished Trump’s influence within the party, from his consistent worship of authoritarian dictators who lead America’s adversaries, his effort to betray the nation, or legal problems that range from four indictments containing 91 criminal charges to civil trial losses that affirm he sexually assaulted journalist E. Jean Carroll and cheated on debts and his New York state taxes.

As the 2024 election season unfolds, Pence’s stance on Trump and Biden reflects the complex dynamics at play within the Republican Party, where differing visions for the future continue to shape the political landscape.