We are officially off to the races here in the United States, as the 2024 presidential election cycle has now begun with Donald Trump’s inevitable and official announcement regarding his own candidacy.
There was never really any doubt that Trump would be running again in 2024, having hinted at the possibility repeatedly over the course of the last two years, and only waiting as long as he did to announce on account of the midterm elections themselves.
Trump was largely of the impression that his announcement would freeze out a number of other potential candidates, but that has not yet been the case, and a number of prominent Republicans have begun hinting at their own runs…including former Vice President Mike Pence.
Former Vice President Mike Pence told Breitbart News that GOP candidates focused on the future and solving the problems voters face today “did quite well” in the midterm election. He also said he and his family will give “prayerful consideration” over the holidays to whether he intends to run for president in 2024.
Pence, who is promoting his new book So Help Me God, started by congratulating Republicans on retaking the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As for his own future, Pence did say he is considering a run for the White House himself—but regardless of what he decides, he will be fighting for the policies and values of the conservative movement he has spent his life in.
“In terms of our role, I can tell you we are going to give prayerful consideration to what role we might play in the months and years ahead as we gather over the Christmas holidays but whether I’m a candidate for president or whether I’m championing another candidate I promise you I’ll never stop fighting for the conservative policies and values that have defined my public life since the very start,” Pence said.
And then…
Asked if he would back Trump in a general election should he win the nomination — even though he thinks there will be “better options” in the primary this time — Pence did not rule out backing Trump but put his faith in GOP primary voters.
“I believe there will be better options. I believe there will be better choices. I have great confidence in Republican primary voters,” Pence said. “As I said, nobody could have defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 other than Donald Trump. Republican primary voters knew what we needed in a standard-bearer in that election. I have every confidence that Republican primary voters will sort out who would best be our standard-bearer for the 2024 election. I’ll leave that to them and we’ll reflect deeply on what role we might play.”
Pence and Trump had a serious and public falling out toward the end of Trump’s first term, as supporters of the then-President stormed the Capitol and suggested that they were looking to “hang Mike Pence” via a chant.
