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Have Trump and Mike Pence patched up? Duo meet for 1st time after Capitol riots amid call for 25th Amendment

Trump and Pence met for the first time since the riots on Monday and reportedly pledged to continue to work together

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have reportedly spoken for the first time since the January 6 Capitol Hill riots that saw pro-Trump supporters violently storm the US Capitol building forcing representatives to seek shelter and delay the certification of the 2020 presidential election results declaring Joe Biden as the next President of the country. The riots ended with a death toll of five people, including a DC police officer. Following the riots, Pence has been called upon by elected Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

Trump has spent the last few days in increasing isolation as Facebook and Twitter took to suspending his accounts on both their platforms, with the tech companies growing increasingly strict in implementing their guidelines. The president and the vice president had not been in contact since the riots during which Pence was in the US Capitol building. Trump had repeatedly and publicly demanded that Pence overturn electors certified by swing states, citing debunked election fraud claims. However, Pence revealed in a letter to Congress that he did not believe he had the Constitutional authority to do so.

In one of his tweets on the day of the Capitol Hill riots, Trump had directly referenced Pence, calling him out for not overturning the electoral votes, writing, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"

According to reports, some rioters also stormed the building with the intention of executing Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A large vehicle found near the scene after the riots contained firearms and explosives, with a Reuters photographer recalling that some protestors were discussing hanging Pence from a tree for being a "traitor." Pence's wife Karen and daughter Charlotte Pence Bond were at the Capitol building when it was stormed by MAGA supporters.

According to CNN and Breitbart, Pence and Trump met on Monday, January 11, and had a "good conversation" while discussing the week ahead. The pair also reflected "on the last four years of the administration's work and accomplishments." 

The source, a senior administration official, is also quoted as saying, "They reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans, and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term."

Reporter Jack Posebiec also revealed that Pence and Trump came out of the office "laughing" and that Pence "never once" considered invoking the 25th Amendment. Posebiec tweeted, "BREAKING: Pence told Trump he ‘never once’ considered 25th Amendment. Both had long talk, came out of the O laughing - WH official." He also added, "Trump added he will probably back Pence if he himself decides not to run in 24, but ‘no promises though.'"

Meanwhile, Democrat representatives are preparing to give Pence an ultimatum - move to remove Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment or he will face a second impeachment vote in the House. On Monday, Democrats in the House of Representatives formally charged Trump with one count of “incitement of insurrection” over the Capitol Hill riots. Speaker Pelosi said that she would move forward with impeaching Trump if Vice-President Mike Pence did not remove him from office under the 25th amendment to the US constitution. However, Republican senators are coming out in opposition against the impeachment move suggesting that it will do "more harm than good." 

Pence is expected to attend Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, however, Trump has publicly stated that he will not attend. The FBI has warned of armed protests across the country ahead of Biden's swearing-in as the 46th President of the country.