Pence addresses GOP leadership shift at Iowa State Fair while Trump seethes.
Former Vice President Mike Pence Takes on Trump at Iowa State Fair
Former Vice President Mike Pence made a bold appearance at the Des Moines Register political soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, while his former boss and 2024 rival, ex-President Donald Trump, expressed his frustration on social media over their 2020 election disagreement.
The ongoing dispute between the two men centers around Pence’s role in refusing to certify the 2020 election results after President Joe Biden’s victory. While Pence has consistently maintained that he was obligated to follow the Constitution and certify the results, Trump argues that Pence had the power to send disputed votes back to the states.
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As Pence inches closer to launching a presidential bid, he has been careful not to directly confront Trump. However, in light of last week’s federal grand jury indictment against the former president for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent Capitol riot on January 6th, Pence has become more vocal in his criticisms of Trump. Unsurprisingly, his old boss was not pleased.
“I never asked Mike Pence to ‘disregard the Constitution.’ Nor did I tell him that he was ‘too honest.’ He is under great pressure and getting very bad advice from Marc ‘Long’ and perhaps some of his other advisers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social while Pence was addressing the Iowa crowd. “His poll numbers have just gone down from an already anemic level. Liddle’ Mike now wants to be a tough guy. He could have had greatness, but chose another path!”
Meanwhile, during a question-and-answer session, Pence acknowledged his contentious relationship with Trump when an attendee accused him of committing treason on January 6th. Pence responded, “There’s almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could pick the American president.” He then referenced Article 2 of the Constitution, which states that he had a duty to certify the electoral votes as president of the Senate. ”The American presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone,” Pence emphasized. He continued, “I’ll always believe by God’s grace I did my duty that day. People deserve to know that on that day, the former president asked me to choose him over my oath to the Constitution. I choose the Constitution, and I always will.”
The clash between Trump and Pence comes just before the Republican National Committee’s first primary debate on August 23rd. Pence’s campaign announced that he has qualified for the debate by meeting the fundraising and polling requirements. However, Trump has yet to sign the RNC’s loyalty oath and has stated that he will decide whether to attend the debate next week.
Pence is also scheduled to participate in a “Fair Side Chat” with Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA) on Friday, along with other 2024 rivals. Notably absent from the event will be Trump, who has publicly feuded with Reynolds over her neutrality in the primary race. The former president also chose to skip the Des Moines Register political soapbox.
At the upcoming debate, Pence is expected to reiterate a message he emphasized in Iowa: “We need new leadership in the White House, but I also believe we need new leadership in the Republican Party.”
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