() — Former US Vice President Mike Pence said in part of a recently released interview that he and his family are “prayerfully considering” whether he should run for president in 2024 and that the country will have “better options going forward” than former President Donald. Trump.
Asked by ABC News’ David Muir if he thinks he can beat Trump, who is expected to announce a 2024 campaign for the White House on Tuesday, Pence replied: “Well, that’s for others to say, and we do.” It would be up to us to decide if we want to try that or not ”.
And when asked if he thinks his former boss should serve as president again, Pence said: “I think that’s up to the American people. But I think we will have better options in the future. People in this country get along pretty well once you get out of politics. And I think they want to see their national leaders begin to reflect that same compassion and generosity of spirit. And I think, in the next few days, I think there will be better options.”
“And as for me and my family, we will be reflecting on what our roles will be in that,” he added.
The former vice president has been coy about his plans for 2024, but has long been viewed as a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination. However, any formally declared bid would surely face strong opposition from Trump, whose supporters he would need in a primary fight.
When pressed by Muir about why Trump didn’t take action sooner to stop the violence at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Pence said he “can’t explain what the president was doing” that day, telling him told ABC that he never heard from Trump or the White House on January 6.
The former vice president, who was on Capitol Hill on January 6 as the violent acts unfolded, said: “I did not feel fear. I was filled with outrage at what I saw.”
Pence, echoing an excerpt from his book published last week in The Wall Street Journal, described how he disagreed with his top Secret Service agent, who initially wanted the vice president to leave the Capitol building. As a compromise, Pence was taken to the loading dock, which he was told was safer, but he found the motorcade positioned to leave the Capitol.
“They ushered us into the trailer with the doors of our Suburban open on both sides. And I saw that they had placed vehicles on the ramp. And I just went to my Secret Service leader and said, ‘I’m not getting in that car’… I just assumed if we got in the car and closed those 200-pound doors, it wouldn’t be my team at the loading dock. , but maybe someone at Secret Service headquarters would just order the driver to leave,” Pence recalled.
“I just didn’t want those rioters to see the vice president’s motorcade speeding away from the Capitol. I didn’t want to give them that satisfaction,” he added.
Pence will participate in a forum on Wednesday, a day after the release of his upcoming autobiography “So Help Me God.” The town hall, moderated by anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, will take place in New York City and is scheduled for 9 pm Miami time.
‘s Gregory Clary contributed to this report.
