Former President Donald Trump is still a top contender for the next election and a huge force in the Republican Party. His endorsements have been doing quite well overall so far in the primaries; he isn’t going away the way his opponents had hoped.
One of those who is no longer on Team Trump is, of course, former VP Mike Pence. He’s strongly disliked by many Trump supporters since failing to back up 45’s claims of election fraud.
Now, Trump panned Pence in front of a huge crowd of people in exactly the type of place Pence would have fit in and been cheered just a few years ago.
Trump Mocks Pence
Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Nashville, Trump said Pence was so “scared” on January 6 and portrayed him as a weak embarrassment.
Pence didn’t even go to the event, which usually would have been a core place for an evangelical conservative such as himself.
Speaking at the conference, Trump said Pence was given the “chance” to truly be a “historic” leader and inspiration, but instead, he let everyone down.
Slamming “weak” former AG Bill Barr and others, Trump says Pence lacked “courage.”
The specific breaking point between Trump and Pence came when Pence refused to do what Trump said and block certification of the 2020 election results.
"Mike Pence had a chance to be great." President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/F8P3MNzl8s
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) June 17, 2022
Remember Last Year?
There’s a good reason Pence skipped the conference.
Last year, he was booed while on stage, shouted at, and called a traitor. It’s not exactly the welcome that anyone wants, especially someone who’s probably considering a reentry to national politics and maybe even a run for POTUS.
Most people at the conference said they don’t have any strong dislike of Pence, but they were disappointed how he didn’t stand by Trump when it came down to the wire.
Pence has been actively working against Trump since their split has gotten more intense. He even went to campaign against Trump’s endorsements, such as recently when he helped Brian Kemp win in Georgia’s recent primary and upset Trump’s wishes.
Pence is in no man’s land politically; he has basically gone from being the type of Republican who could solidly count on support to being cast adrift.
While he checks all the boxes with many of his priorities, such as being pro-life, for a huge comeback, Pence himself eroded huge support as a result of his rift with the former president.
.@Lawrence on former VP Pence: "The man who never wavered privately could not have been more supportive publicly of every Trump lie. Every one of them." https://t.co/hidBMeQZeo pic.twitter.com/uK8OI2CKZu
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 18, 2022
The Bottom Line
American politics has changed dramatically in just the past five years. Pence can’t be happy about what’s happening, but it remains to be seen what he’s going to do about it in the future.
Likely, it will be by throwing more support behind conservatives who oppose Trump.
