Pence dissents from Trump’s call for retribution: ‘Problem solvers, not payback’
Ryan King
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Former Vice President Mike Pence objected to his onetime boss’s talk of retribution against political foes, urging for a focus on redemption and problem-solving instead.
Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump stuck a tone of vengeance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, declaring, “I am your retribution.” Pence countered that such a decree was inappropriate, marking the latest public war of words between the pair.
PENCE TO BLAME ‘IN MANY WAYS’ FOR JAN. 6 RIOT, TRUMP SAYS
“I don’t think that language belongs in the American political lexicon. I don’t. Look, we’ve got some major issues facing this country, but in the next election, I think the American people are going to be looking for problem solvers, not payback,” Pence told Yahoo News.
Trump gave a fiery CPAC speech that electrified the crowd and made headlines for vowing to serve justice to those who have wronged his followers.
“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution,” the former president said.
Over recent weeks, Pence has begun sharpening his criticisms of his former boss and political partner. During the recent Gridiron Club Dinner, Pence reiterated that he has “no right to overturn the election,” then pointedly rebuked Trump, pinning the blame for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot chaos on him.
“His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” the former vice president said.
Pence stressed that character in the country’s leaders is important.
“I like to say oftentimes when I’m traveling around, our challenge in going forward is just to have government as good as our people,” the ex-vice president told Yahoo News.
Trump, in turn, has ratcheted up his disparagement of Pence, countering his onetime wingman’s Jan. 6 dig by suggesting Pence bore some of the blame for the ransacking of the Capitol.
“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways, you can blame him. I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘Jan. 6,’ as we call it,” Trump told reporters Monday after a campaign stop in Iowa.
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As Pence weighs a possible entry into the 2024 fray, he has waded in on hot-button topics, recently nudging his party to embrace entitlement reform despite objections from congressional leaders. He has also traversed key early caucus and primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
Nevertheless, Pence is adamant that he has “made no decision” about entering the race. At the moment, he is polling in third place, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.