As Mike Pence’s campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination takes on water, his attacks against his former running mate, President Donald Trump, have reached an alarming crescendo. His recent assertion that he would testify against Trump in the expected trial over the latest federal indictment of Trump appears more like an act of desperation than an honorable display of “obeying the law.”
Last weekend, Pence, appearing on “Face The Nation,” was asked if he would stand as a witness against the former president. His reply was measured but deeply loaded. “I have no plans to testify, but people can be confident we’ll obey the law,” he said. “We’ll respond to the call of the law, if it comes, and we’ll just tell the truth.”
Pence suggests he’s willing to testify against Trump in court: ‘We’ll respond to the call’ https://t.co/SDorabAqVm
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 7, 2023
While a commitment to truth and lawfulness are both noble sentiments, it’s hard to ignore the political convenience of Pence’s stance. With his polling numbers slipping, the former vice president is grasping at straws to create distance from the controversy surrounding Trump.
In the most recent indictment of President Trump, Pence’s notes from the days leading up to the Capitol protests were reportedly used as evidence before the grand jury. These notes reveal a conversation where Trump reportedly chided Pence, stating, “You’re too honest,” and “People are gonna think you’re stupid.”
Yet Trump has swiftly refuted these claims: “I never told a newly emboldened (not based on his 2% poll numbers!) Pence to put me above the Constitution, or that Mike was ‘too honest.’ He’s delusional, and now he wants to show he’s a tough guy.”
Pence seems eager to paint himself as the good guy who chose the Constitution over a personal relationship with Trump. But as Trump rightly points out, Pence’s 2% poll numbers tell a different story. The former vice president’s attempt to separate himself from Trump and appeal to a broader voter base has left him in the political wilderness.
Whether or not Pence’s tactics will gain him any ground remains to be seen. But for now, his crusade against Trump seems less like a righteous pursuit of justice and more like a last-ditch effort to revive a flailing campaign. With the 2024 elections looming, only time will tell how this strategy plays out for Pence. But as things stand, his star is undeniably on the wane.
