Mike Pence says he and Donald Trump may never ‘see eye to eye’ on January 6 insurrection
- Former US vice-president makes most extensive public comments to date about Capitol riot
- Pence says he and Donald Trump have spoken ‘many times’ since leaving office
Former US vice-president Mike Pence said that he wasn’t sure that he and former president Donald Trump would ever see “eye to eye” over what happened on January 6 but that he would “always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years”.
“As I said that day, January 6 was a dark day in history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift action of the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled. The Capitol was secured,” Pence said.
“And that same day, we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States,” Pence continued. “You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on that day.”
It was a rare departure for Pence, who spent four years standing loyally beside his boss amid controversy, investigation and impeachment. It comes as Pence considers his own potential 2024 White House run and as Republicans, some of whom were angry at Trump in the days after the January 6 insurrection, have largely coalesced back around the former president.
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Pence praised Trump several times during his nearly 35-minute speech at the Hillsborough County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln-Reagan Awards Dinner in Manchester. He tried to turn the events of January 6 back around on Democrats, saying they wanted to keep the insurrection in the news to divert attention from Biden’s liberal agenda.