Who will replace Mike Pence? Donald Trump says ex-VP won’t be on 2024 ticket
We don't know for sure if Donald Trump will run for President in 2024, but it appears we can rule out Mike Pence running as his Vice President. In a new interview published on March 16, 2022, the former President effectively ruled out the return of the Trump-Pence ticket, as he was clearly still angry Pence didn't help him overturn the 2020 Presidential Election results.
While the two enjoyed a very good relationship during their time in the White House, things took a turn for the worse after they lost their reelection bid. Pence firmly refused to overturn the results, and certified them even after the January 6 insurrection, which we know was orchestrated by senior Trump officials. Back in June 2021, Pence acknowledged his political career may be over for good, telling supporters "I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye" about Trump.
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However, there are reports Pence is mounting his own run for President, as are many other Republicans, under Trump's shadow. Trump has never officially confirmed if he will run again in 2024, but he's dropped enough hints for us to safely assume he will. The reveal about Pence is just the latest in a long line of hints.
Who will replace Mike Pence?
To answer that question, we must first look at Trump's statements in his interview with The Washington Examiner from Mar-a-Lago. About the Trump-Pence ticket, he said, "I don’t think the people would accept it." He then said, "Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end. We had a very good relationship," before adding, "I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”
Given Trump's hatred of anyone who is remotely critical of him, it makes sense for him to ditch Pence. Not only did the then-VP refuse to turn the election results, but in his few public appearances since leaving office, he's taken some digs directly at Trump. The Examiner called Trump's comments "cold and critical", indicating he's clearly still not over the 2020 results. So it would seem that Pence is not going to be Trump's partner in 2024, so the question is who is?
Luckily for Trump, he still has many loyal to him in the GOP, so there's no dearth of options. He could turn to state-level officials like Governor Greg Abbott or Ron DeSantis, who've built their profiles very much around Trump's ideologies, from closing the border to fighting mask and vaccine mandates. Both also have widespread support amongst the Trump base, which would give Trump the adoration he so craves.
Alternatively, Trump could pick someone from Congress, like Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Madison Cawthorn, or even Paul Gosar. All have been happy to spread lies at Trump's behest, and have never criticized Trump before, a key factor needed. Trump could also choose to partner with former officials, but the options there are pretty thin as many have since jumped ship and denounced him like former AG Bill Barr and Mark Meadows. There's only a small pool of options from this category, and few have the national profile a VP candidate would need.
A lot can change between now and 2024, and we still don't know if Trump will be the GOP nominee. Only time will tell who will be rewarded for their loyalty and join Trump's ticket if he does indeed make it to the final battle against Joe Biden, who we know for sure is running again in 2024.