Former Vice President Mike Pence said during a March 15 interview that he would not be endorsing former President Donald Trump in the 2024 general election.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” said Mr. Pence during an interview on Fox News on Friday.
The former vice president was President Trump’s running mate in 2016 and 2020 before running his own unsuccessful campaign for president in the 2024 election. He suspended his campaign in October 2023 after he failed to gain significant traction.
“Look, I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration,” Mr. Pence went on during the interview. “It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure, and saw conservatives appointed to our courts and a more peaceful world. But that being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear that there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.”
The former vice president went on to say that he believes President Trump has turned away from some of the tenants his administration supported, including lowering the national debt, sufficiently supporting the sanctity of life, and his tough-on-China policies that would force a sale of the social media app TikTok.
“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,” Mr. Pence said. “And that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.”
It is expected that President Trump will be the Republican nominee for the election to take place in November, which would result in a rematch with President Joe Biden.
Over the past three years, Mr. Pence has consistently stated that he did not possess the ability to reject the results of the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021, despite pressure put on him to do so.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who both dropped out of the Republican presidential primary, are among the former candidates who have not yet endorsed President Trump.
The former president has received support from a number of other individuals who ran against him, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-N.D.), and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Pence’s Policy Initiative
Mr. Pence launched a policy and advocacy initiative in February with the objective of promoting conservative policies among political candidates and elected officials. According to him, the principles championed by the initiative—called the American Solutions Project—effectively contributed to the prosperity and strength of the United States throughout the Trump administration.
Advancing American Freedom (AAF), a Washington-based organization founded by Mr. Pence, announced the American Solutions Project on Feb. 20. Its mission is to defend traditionally conservative policies and values against “liberal attacks and media distortions,” according to a statement from the organization.
“Advancing American Freedom plans to build on the success of the last four years by promoting traditional Conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump Administration,” Mr. Pence said in a 2021 statement.
“Conservatives will not stand idly by as the radical Left and the new administration attempt to threaten America’s standing as the greatest Nation in the world with their destructive policies.”
The organization seeks to influence political majorities by providing conservative policies for political candidates, championing conservative legislation on domestic and foreign issues, and defending conservative principles.
In 2024, AAF plans to allocate $20 million to advance its goals, consisting of $8 million for The American Solutions Project, $7 million for AAF’s operating expenses, and $5 million for the AAF Foundation’s operating expenses.
Lawrence Wilson contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
