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Mike Pence says Trump and he may never see ‘eye-to-eye’ on Jan 6 riots: 'Perfect YES man'

Mike Pence confirmed he has been in touch with Trump 'several times' since leaving office, opens up about insurrection for the first time

Since leaving office, former vice president Mike Pence has rarely stepped into the public spotlight. His latest outing came on June 3, when he spoke to Republicans from a New Hampshire (NH) county. In that speech, Pence gave his most detailed account of the January 6 insurrection to date but stopped short of providing many details.

Pence, who is widely believed to be gearing up for a Presidential run in 2024 has taken a more measured approach to life after the White House. While former president Donald Trump has continued to spew lies about the election and weigh in on everything from GOP candidates to the Kentucky Derby, Pence hasn't commented on a lot in the past. He still has his Twitter account though and has used it sparingly to criticize Democrats.

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As to the aftermath of the insurrection, Pence has largely remained silent, until now. While speaking to the NH Republicans, he finally delved into some detail about what happened but continued to praise Trump. Pence also launched into a tirade against racism and urged the party to oppose President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill. 

'I will always be proud' says Pence despite insurrection

Pence's 35-minute speech came at the Hillsborough County Republican Committee's annual Lincoln-Reagan Awards Dinner. He told attendees, "As I said that day, Jan. 6 was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift action of the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled, the Capitol was secured and that same day we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States." He added, "You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office, and I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on that day. But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years."

Pence didn't slam Trump for his behavior, which may strike some as odd. During the insurrection, it was reported that rioters came within seconds of the VP. He was taken to an undisclosed location with his family for days after Jan 6, but Trump reportedly never bothered to check in and see how they were doing. Nonetheless, Pence seemed willing to praise Trump, as he did so several times during that speech. 

Pence also used the speech to slam claims of systemic racism in America, saying, "Black lives are not endangered by police, Black lives are saved by police every day." The speech was widely seen as a test of Pence's popularity, ahead of a planned run in 2024. It quickly got Twitter's attention as well, with many reminding the former VP that rioters were chanting "hang Mike Pence".

Pence slammed as 'one of the most pathetic'

One person tweeted, "Mike Pence says that he doesn’t know if he and Trump will ever "see eye to eye” on January 6. Hard to see eye to eye with a guy who incited a mob that tried to hang you." Another slammed, "Pence today: “The privilege of serving alongside President Donald Trump, it’s the greatest honor of my life” Dude, his cultists wanted to hang you You have no self-respect. Did Mother make you say this?". One person commented: "Imagine still speaking to someone who you “don’t see eye to eye” with about the day they tried to have you killed," another slammed the former VP saying: "He's the perfect YES Man"..

Author Ben Rhodes called Pence, "Mike Pence is one of the most pathetic figures in the history of American politics." One user noted, "I'm still concerned about the fact that they apparently saw eye to eye about everything that happened before Jan. 6."

One user said, "When Pence talks with the Former Guy does he ask him why he sent a mob to murder him? Seems like it would be hard to talk about anything else." Another tweeted, "If my coworker had people trying to hang me because he was talking shit about me, and then did nothing about it, I wouldn't be calling it the "greatest honor of my life" to serve with him. Mike Pence is a spineless buzzard." One more person noted, "Mike Pence: “I don’t think Trump and I will ever see eye-to-eye about that day...” No shit, Mike. He tried to have you hanged on the front lawn of the US Capitol."

Images from the insurrection show rioters had erected a platform with a noose, but it is unclear if they actually planned to hang Pence. The former VP was escorted out of the Capitol mere seconds before rioters caught up to him, CCTV images show. That's probably why Pence is mulling his own bid for president, rather than serve again as Trump's VP.