![]() ![]() The two have always had a tepid relationship, more the function of Trump’s fear of a potential competitor than of Pence’s actions, which were obsequious to the point of parody. In response, Trump issued an attack on Pence in early December, saying in a statement that Pence was a “good man,” but that he made a “big mistake” in refusing to overturn the 2020 election results. Not quite a declaration of candidacy, but also not a bow to the king of the GOP. “I’m confident that our party and our movement will choose the right leaders and the right voices to make our country strong and great once again,” Pence said in an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Meanwhile, Pence and others continue to draw attention that otherwise would have gone Trump’s direction. He’s been largely relegated to reaction, responding to the latest outrage and competing for attention with the likes of Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene. What’s more, Trump’s emailed statements don’t drive the news in the same way his tweets once did. To them, Youngkin’s win indicates there’s no appetite for an extremist in the White House (though if and when Trump does announce a bid, that outlook may be scrambled in as-yet-unpredictable ways). GOP donors, meanwhile, have been quietly pushing others to run, according to a Republican strategist. While a hardened segment of the base will likely never break with Trump, increasing numbers of Republicans say they want someone new, or at the very least want Trump to name a successor. Pence, like many other Republicans, campaigned with Youngkin at private events, but Trump was kept away-and the lesson of his absence sunk in quickly. For most of the year, Beltway thinking was that the former president was all but guaranteed to run in 2024, but that assumption was seemingly upended by Glenn Youngkin’s surprise victory in the Virginia governor’s race. “Pence’s political stock continues to rise every month while Trump relitigating his loss to Biden makes him look smaller in the rearview mirror,” said Scott Reed, a longtime Republican operative who ran Bob Dole’s 1996 campaign for president.Īt the same time, Trump’s grip on the GOP has begun to soften. Instead, Trump’s actions seem to have had the opposite effect, accidentally launching Pence’s quite feasible bid for the Republican nomination. “James Madison,” Pence replied, pausing for effect. One student accused Pence of certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump merely to further his own presidential ambitions: “My question is, what is the name of the person who told you to buck President Trump’s plan and certify the votes?” He opened up about why he hadn’t joined the military like many in his family, telling a rare anecdote about his father. As he worked the room of students in the critical early-voting state late last year, he came across as confident, at ease, even funny-albeit in a dry, Mike Pence-y way.Īfter delivering the equivalent of a stump speech touting his work in the White House, he moved on to a question-and-answer session with students, loosening his grip on the podium and engaging with them directly. Pence, who’s known as much for his anti-LGBTQ positions as his awkward stiffness, has been loosening up-an observation that, this side of New Year’s Day, mere months from midterm elections, has those close to him betting on a bid. Pence had just delivered a speech that may come to be seen as a pivotal moment should he cement what already seems obvious: He’s running for president, and doing so regardless of who his opponents might be. “You hear it here first, shadow front-runner,” texted one of Mike Pence’s longtime friends after the former vice president’s November appearance at the University of Iowa. ![]()
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