Will Mike Pence be Trump's running mate in 2024? Ex-VP cries 'voter fraud' in op-ed, calls Capitol riots 'tragic'
Former Vice President Mike Pence might have stayed away from the limelight since leaving office in January. However, he is back with an op-ed that might hint that he wants to be Donald Trump's running mate in 2024.
In his first op-ed for the conservative news site The Daily Signal, Pence wrote about the claims of widespread voter fraud and expressed concern about "the integrity of the 2020 election", citing "significant" and "troubling" voting irregularities.
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While there is no reported evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have majorly affected the outcome of the 2020 election, Pence did not write about any specific claims in the op-ed article. Instead, he continued to promote the alleged misinformation pushed by Trump that led his supporters to storm the Capitol.
In the op-ed, Pence described the events of January 6, which put him and his family in life-threatening danger, as "tragic," and said the insurrection "deprived the American people of a substantive discussion in Congress about election integrity in America."
It should hardly come as a surprise that Pence is making these claims now. Since the time he was in office, Pence never once publicly challenged Trump's claims that the election was allegedly stolen from him. In his last days in office, Pence spoke about the administration's accomplishments and chose to avoid questions from the press amid Trump's impeachment.
He even kept a low profile after President Joe Biden's inauguration. After certifying the results on January 6, Pence did not address the matter. Pence also called for unity in the op-ed but without naming Trump. "After a year in which our nation has endured a global pandemic, economic hardship and a contentious election, now is not the time to further inflame passion and division. It is time for our nation's leaders to help America heal," Pence wrote.
'Just stop!'
Many social media users on Twitter are taking to point out the facts for Pence. "Mike Pence is throwing his support behind some of the same kinds of discredited ideas that literally put him in danger. That's not exactly surprising, but it is amazing," one user said.
"Did you even look at the voting data before you made the biggest decision of your life. Honest question. Ballot Dumps (300k, 300k, 600k, 97% one sided), repeating ratio ballot submissions (100s times) with the same ratios repeating. There's more. Did you even look???" one tweeted.
"I really can't believe we are still pushing the election irregularities? We agree that we should have a discussion if that had happened but we had that discussion. In court. Over and over. No more discussion. At some point, we should probably talk about objective truth," another pointed out.
"Just stop! You were the One person in the last 4 years who could stop the insanity and you CHOSE TO STAND BY AND WATCH WHILE A MADMAN DEFILED those who disagreed with him and ultimately the AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO VOTED FIR HIM!!!" a user tweeted directly to Pence.
Mike Pence is throwing his support behind some of the same kinds of discredited ideas that literally put him in danger.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) March 3, 2021
That's not exactly surprising, but it is amazing. https://t.co/ffUrGeEHzo
Did you even look at the voting data before you made the biggest decision of your life. Honest question. Ballot Dumps (300k, 300k, 600k, 97% one sided), repeating ratio ballot submissions (100s times) with the same ratios repeating. There's more. Did you even look???
— S Imex (@simex) March 3, 2021
I really can't believe we are still pushing the election irregularities? We agree that we should have a discussion if that had happened but we had that discussion. In court. Over and over. No more discussion. At some point, we should probably talk about objective truth.
— Recovering Karen (@SJeanneM1983) March 3, 2021
Just stop! You were the One person in the last 4 years who could stop the insanity and you CHOSE TO STAND BY AND WATCH WHILE A MADMAN DEFILED those who disagreed with him and ultimately the AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO VOTED FIR HIM!!!
— Doug Oboe 🇺🇸 (@putternutt) March 3, 2021
Despite everything that has transpired over the last months, including the fact that many of Trump's supporters barged into the Capitol that day hunting for Pence, the former Vice President might be still eager to run alongside Trump in the next elections. This much could be inferred from the op-ed and his actions since the riot.
Does Trump want to run with Pence?
According to people familiar with the matter, Trump's close advisers want him to choose someone other than Mike Pence for the ticket. According to latest reports, Trump has allegedly privately discussed alternatives to Pence since he apparently knows best who was by his side till the end of his term.
Trump’s advisers are considering a Black or female running mate for his next run, and three of the people familiar with the matter reportedly said Pence is likely to not get the ticket. At the same time, former Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller tweeted, "This is fake news. No such conversations are happening."
This is fake news. No such conversations are happening. https://t.co/RU8NG22d9u
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) March 3, 2021