Oct 29, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Trump says Pence should endorse him after former VP suspends 2024 campaign

April Rubin

Trump speaks at a campaign event in front of a blue lectern and blue backdrop — Former President Trump speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Leadership Summit at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on Oct. 28, 2023 in Las Vegas. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Former President Trump called on his Vice President Mike Pence to endorse his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election at a Saturday rally, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: Pence, who dropped out of the GOP primary race earlier on Saturday, has regularly condemned Trump for his role during the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol.

"He should endorse me," Trump said at the rally in Las Vegas, per The Hill. "You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency and he was the vice president."
"I chose him, made him vice president," Trump said on Saturday, per CNN.
"But … people in politics can be very disloyal. I've never seen anything like it."

The intrigue: Pence suspended his presidential campaign on Saturday, not having yet qualified for the third Republican primary debate on Nov. 8.

Pence and Trump, who ran together in 2016 and 2020, have had a fraught relationship after Pence accepted electoral college results in Jan. 2021.
Pence has repeatedly said that the vice president doesn't have the authority to reject the elector's votes and Trump was wrong in his belief that he could.
While Pence has never directly said Trump was unfit for office, he has stated: "Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States."

Go deeper: Mike Pence suspends presidential campaign as Trump surges

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Trump says Pence should endorse him after former VP suspends 2024 campaign

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