When former President Trump brought Mike Pence onboard to be his vice president, it was a gesture of trust.
Pence was a religious conservative and an evangelical man who would make sure that the Trump administration stayed loyal to voters who cared about Biblical values.
He would also help win states in the Midwest with a reputation as a solid conservative.
The problem with Pence was always twofold: he was too cautious and timid, and he was too set on winning respect from the establishment that hates conservatives.
This eventually led to him betraying Trump and refusing to side with him surrounding the problems and fraud accusations of the 2020 election.
Now Pence is going a step further, coming out directly against Trump.
What Did Pence Say?
Pence said that Trump is not a good “choice” in 2024 and is not a “wise” choice for Republican voters. Conservatives need to make sure to get rid of Trump already in the primary process so he doesn’t get the nomination for 2024, Pence said.
Saying that his potential “role” in 2024 will be under consideration, Pence is obviously setting up a run for himself.
He’s long wanted to be president and is a systematic and cautious politician who carefully builds bridges and watches his words. He isn’t saying any of this by mistake, and his recent book is also a clear sign that he intends to run.
Pence has also made it clear that he does consider Trump partly to blame for disappointing midterm results. He says that Trump’s obsession with the 2020 election and trying to “relitigate” it led to too much controversy and threw the midterm election into chaos.
Former Vice President Mike Pence describes the first meeting he had with Donald Trump after January 6th in which Trump told Pence "don't bother" to pray for him.
"We parted amicably," Pence added. pic.twitter.com/CWf0QYdlkW
— The Recount (@therecount) November 16, 2022
Pence’s Position
While Pence turned on Trump in various ways, he’s hedging his bets.
He recently let everyone know he won’t testify about January 6 in front of their committee, and his recent book So Help Me God is pretty standard stuff.
There’s no doubt that Pence wants to be POTUS, but there’s also no doubt that he’d have a very tough road ahead if he tried.
Going up against the man he defended for years and trying to say how much he disagrees with him would be a hard thing to do and also come across pretty insincere.
It’s clear that Pence is a man looking for a path to power, but his attempt to play it safe has sabotaged his chances for the most part.
BREAKING: Former Vice President Mike Pence tells CBS News that he's "closing the door" on testifying before the Jan. 6 committee. “Congress has no right to my testimony,” he tells @margbrennan. pic.twitter.com/E5IVtwrscY
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 16, 2022
Does Pence Have a Chance?
Pence does have a small chance, but it’s very, very small. He’s more of a relic of a Republican party that no longer exists.
The 2022 GOP is Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. If Pence wants to sell a few books and feel important then good for him, but his chance of sitting at the Resolute Desk is minimal.
