WASHINGTON — Mike Pence capped off his first day as the 2024 presidential candidate by again directly tackling the biggest problem in the Republican race: Donald Trump, the man who named him vice president.
Echoing comments he made throughout his opening day, Pence used a CNN town hall in Iowa to hit out at Trump on federal spending and entitlement reform, Vladimir Putin, and, specifically , Trump’s actions before the January 6, 2021, uprising.
“I said today that I felt he was asking me to choose between him and the Constitution,” Pence said of his former boss Trump. “I chose the Constitution, and I always will.”
Regarding ongoing investigations, Pence said he hopes the Justice Department doesn’t indict Trump for handling classified information because it would be “terribly divisive.” He lamented Trump’s indictment in March in New York over a silent money case.
The former vice president also asked if he would forgive Trump if his former president is found guilty in one or more of the investigations against him.
“I don’t want to talk about hypotheticals,” Pence said, adding jokingly, “I’m not sure I’m going to be elected president of the United States.”
“I don’t think he will be the candidate”
Pence, who is in single digits in most polls, preferred to attack President Joe Biden and the Democrats. He also made it clear that Trump’s legacy will be a big part of his long presidential campaign.
The former president also said he would support whoever Republicans nominate in 2024, even if it’s Trump. Pence said he plans to be the nominee and he hopes Trump will “come back” on their differences, especially on Jan. 6.
Regarding Trump, Pence said, “I don’t think he’s going to be the nominee.”
A requirement for entering the debate stage is that all candidates must agree to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Defined by Trump, can Mike Pence reset his image to win over 2024 GOP primary voters?
No comments from Trump
Trump did not publicly comment on Pence on Wednesday, while allies took a low-key, skeptical approach.
Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the political action committee known as Make America Great Again, said Pence entered the race due to the perceived weakness of fellow Trump challenger Ron DeSantis.
“Mike Pence’s entry into the race caps another bad week for Ron DeSantis’ faltering campaign,” Leavitt said, “but the question most GOP voters have about Pence’s candidacy is ‘ For what? “”
It’s not 2016
That’s quite a shift from the 2016 presidential cycle, when Republican opponents of Trump tended to prey on rather than risk alienating Trump’s broad voter base.
This time around, Trump is taking the heat from a growing number of challengers, including DeSantis, Chris Christie and now Pence.
“It’s time,” Pence told CBS News after his announcement speech. “It’s time.”
January 6 conflict
In his speech, subsequent interviews and town hall on CNN, Pence made his most critical comments about Trump and his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.
Trump has demanded that Pence, in his role as Senate President, reject electoral votes for Biden and essentially re-elect Trump to the White House. Pence said he had no legal authority to do so and that Trump violated his oath of office by asking.
Trump is being investigated by a special counsel for the actions leading up to Jan. 6, as well as the classified documents case.
The Jan. 6 investigation generated another unique aspect of Pence’s candidacy: He previously testified before a grand jury about the former president and front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Pence also told CNN he has no plans to forgive anyone who vandalized the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a topic Trump addressed.
The issue of abortion
Asked about the issue at CNN’s town hall, Pence said he would continue to fight for an end to abortion. He did not mention his emerging differences with Trump on the issue that matters to conservative religious voters in Iowa and other states.
While he said he opposes abortion, Trump also said his party may be going too far in calling for the practice to be banned. The problem hurts Republican candidates, he said, and contributed to the GOP’s poor results in the 2022 election.
Earlier in the day, during his announcement speech, Pence said Trump and “others in this race are stepping back from the cause of the unborn child.”
Russia and Putin
Pence also hit out at Trump on foreign policy issues, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump has said he could settle the Russia-Ukraine war in a single day, presumably by offering concessions to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
On CNN, Pence said Putin should not be rewarded for his aggression. He also repeated his past criticism of Trump for once describing the Russian leader as “a genius”.
“I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal,” Pence told CNN Town Hall.
Expenses, social security and health insurance
Federal spending and entitlements also provided a dividing line between Pence and Trump.
Pence said the government could not solve its debt crisis without making changes to Social Security, Medicare and other benefit programs.
On CNN, Pence said it was “disappointing” that Trump had the same view of rights as Biden.
“Their policy is insolvency,” Pence said.
Trump and other Republicans have said the spending cuts shouldn’t come at the expense of seniors who have earned their benefits.
Growing criticism of Trump
As Pence researched the prospects of a presidential campaign over the past year and a half, many Trump voters said they were still angry with him for not helping turn the 2020 election around.
Trump’s critics, meanwhile, hold Pence’s past loyalty to the ex-president against him.
Amid this pressure, Pence gradually escalated his criticism of Trump, but confined it mostly to Jan. 6. In February last year, Pence said Trump was “wrong” to demand the election be voided.
At a press dinner last March, Pence expanded on his doubts about Jan. 6: “I had no right to void the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone. world on Capitol Hill that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.
On the day of the announcement, Pence broadened the criticism to issues like abortion, rights and Putin.
Single digits
Pence has his work cut out for him, if the polls are any guide.
The former vice president shot just 4% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month, far behind Trump at 31%.
A number of polls have shown a lack of respect for Pence among Trump supporters and a lack of support from Republicans who oppose Trump.
“He’s not seen as an alternative,” said Clifford Young, president of US public affairs at Ipsos. “He’s in the worst possible place.”