What Donald Trump & Mike Pence Really Think of Each Other 》

As far as elected officials go, Donald Trump and Mike Pence often seemed like day and night. Trump is bold and likes to talk big wherever he goes. Pence, meanwhile, is much more reserved and doesn’t speak his mind nearly as often.

For the past few years, it seemed like the two got along just fine. But after the 2020 election and up to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, we have seen the two clash like never before.

Now that the dust has settled and a new president is in office, there is one question left on everybody’s mind. What do Donald Trump and Mike Pence really think of each other?

Trump attacks Pence on Twitter the day of the insurrection

Even before becoming president, Donald Trump absolutely loved Twitter. He used it to give his unfiltered views on just about everything. And that never stopped while he was in office.

It’s only fitting, then, that sparks weren’t publicly flying between Trump and Pence until Pence tweeted on January 6, mere hours before the insurrection began. In the preceding weeks, Trump had been trying to pressure Pence into selectively deciding which electoral votes to count in an effort to maintain his presidency.

Shortly after 10 a.m. on January 6, Pence took to Twitter and wrote the following. “It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.”

It didn’t take long for Trump to respond. Two hours later, Trump tweeted, “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.”

Summing things up, Trump wrote that, “USA demands the truth!” But the two of them soon had more pressing things to worry about than a Twitter beef.

RELATED: The Unknown Truth o f Donald Trump

Trump’s followers go after Pence

While this Twitter beef was going on, things were coming to a head at the United States Capitol. Following an incendiary speech by Donald Trump, thousands of his supporters stormed the Capitol. This was an insurrection event that ultimately left five people dead.

All of the politicians at the Capitol were in danger during this event. But due to Trump singling out Mike Pence, many of the attackers were after his blood specifically. Some were chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” and others actually set up gallows that would allow them to carry out this threat!

Fortunately, Pence came to no harm during this attack. But afterward, everyone expected him to hold a grudge against Donald Trump. And that’s what made his next actions so shocking!

Pence neglected to thank Trump in his final speech

At first glance, it looked like Pence really was bearing a grudge against Donald Trump. When Pence gave his final speech as Vice President on January 17 at Fort Drum in New York, he only mentioned Donald Trump’s name once.

“Under the leadership of President Donald Trump, we have rebuilt our military. We’ve restored the arsenal of democracy and enacted the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan,” he said. But although he thanked the U.S. troops at Fort Drum, he conspicuously did not thank Trump.

Some interpreted this as the beginning of Pence pushing back against Trump’s potential political legacy. Surprisingly, though, it looks like Pence is now completely devoted to protecting that legacy.

Congressman claims Trump and Pence are still friends

How do we know what Mike Pence is thinking about Donald Trump? In this case, some key details came out in a CNN interview with Indiana Representative Jim Banks on February 23.

Banks is a Republican who knows Pence very well. According to him, Pence “spoke very favorably” about Trump despite the events of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. “I got the sense they speak often and maintain the same personal friendship and relationship now that they have for years,” Banks said.

Perhaps the most surprising thing that came from this interview is Banks’ description of Pence’s future plans. He claimed that Pence was putting together an organization to help “defend” the legacy of Trump and Pence’s presidential administration.

Pence himself has not confirmed this. But he may be playing his cards close to his chest because of the major sea changes happening in the Republican party.

Pence may support Trump for his own political interests

Love him or hate him, Trump was a president who spoke directly to the fears and concerns of his base. And while he lost his bid at re-election, it seems nothing will keep Trump from running again in 2024.

Of course, part of Trump’s original appeal was his claim that he would “drain the swamp” of career politicians in Washington D.C. And some have wondered if Trump might go so far as to create his own political party rather than running again as a Republican. In one USA Today poll, 46% of Trump voters surveyed said that they would leave the Republican party and follow Trump if he started his own party.

Long story short? Donald Trump is still very much a viable political force, which he demonstrated at CPAC this year. During his speech, Trump revealed a list of his Republican political enemies such as Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney. Trump also made clear he would only lend his political support to those who support his false claims about 2020 voter fraud.

Trump even hinted that he might run for president again in 2024. Regardless of what Mike Pence might privately think of Trump, it’s in his own personal and political interests to support the former president and do his best to safeguard their mutual legacy.