Pence says he won't endorse Trump
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Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he would not be endorsing former President Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
Why it matters: Though he's withholding his endorsement, Pence said he would "never vote for Joe Biden," who recently became the presumptive Democratic nominee.
- Instead, Pence said he preferred to keep his vote private.
- The announcement from Pence, who ended his own GOP presidential campaign last year, comes shortly after Trump gathered enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination.
What he's saying: "It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump," Pence said Friday in an interview on FOX News Channel's "The Story with Martha MacCallum."
- "Look, I'm incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world," he said.
The former vice president noted "profound differences" between himself and Trump "on a range of issues," and "not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January the 6th."
- Trump "is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years," he added.
Zoom out: Pence, who has been vocal in his criticism of Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, ended his own presidential bid last October amid a crowded Republican primary.
Go deeper: Mike Pence suspends presidential campaign as Trump surges
