Mike Pence announced that he will not run for President of the United States on Saturday. He was Donald Trump’s vice president from 2017-2021, but today called on his party to return to conservative principles and oppose the “song of populism”.
The surprise announcement was made to Jewish donors in Las Vegas and was met with cheers. Pence received a standing ovation, opening his speech with a blanket endorsement of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
He then stated that after much thought he had decided to drop out of the presidential race, the New York Times reported.
“It became clear to me that this is not my time,” he told 1,500 people, vowing to “never give up the fight for conservative values.”
As Pence’s campaign unfolded, Donald Trump was accused twice of trying to thwart President Biden’s 2020 victory: in federal court in Washington and in Fulton County, Ga.
Trump has been pressuring his vice president to reject Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. On January 6, 2021, this pressure campaign culminated in a mob of Trump supporters storming the Capitol, with some in the crowd chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”.
Mike Pence has been a key witness for federal prosecutors in the case against Trump, set to begin in March, on charges related to his efforts to stay in power.
He is the highest-ranking candidate to leave the race and the first to meet the Republican National Committee’s criteria for the primary debates.
After entering the race in June, Pence has sought to harness any energy that may have been left in the GOP from the Trump era.
However, he had great difficulty raising funds and was never able to establish himself in the polls dominated by his former rival.
2023-10-28 19:33:00
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