Former vice president and Republican candidate Mike Pence sought to distance himself from ex-colleague Donald Trump following the latest indictment on Tuesday.
In an impassioned statement, Pence claimed the former president put “himself over the Constitution” and should “never be President of the United States.”
Trump was indicted, for the third time this year, in relation to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
The 77-year-old has been charged on one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, one count of obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and one count of conspiracy against rights.
Pence’s disgust at his former superior have been evident ever since the events of that fateful day in Washington D.C., with his efforts to distance himself becoming more prominent since the official launch of his campaign.
Pence’s ponders
Several hours after Special Counsel Jack Smith’s announcement, Pence took to Twitter/X and released a statement.
“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” he wrote.
“The former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence but with this indictment, his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions.”
Pence expressed concern that the publicity surrounding the case took attention away from President Joe Biden’s “disastrous economic policies afflicting millions across the United States” alongside the “pattern of corruption with Hunter.”
“Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career,” Pence added.
“On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will.”
Mike Pence at the polls
Despite his prominence as a former vice president, Pence is struggling to connect with Republican voters with around 2-3% indicating their preference for him to be the next GOP nominee.
On the contrary, Trump has maintained support from more than 50% of party voters, with previous indictments only boosting his support rather than hampering it.
Trump claims he has “never had so much support on anything before,” something which reputable polls will not be able to verify until at least next week.
On platforms outside of Truth Social, an observer can gauge the general reaction to a politician’s comments by assessing the analytics of their posts.
Given that the first post within Pence’s five-post thread received more than 51,000 replies – the majority seemingly criticizing his remarks – and only 60,000 likes, it’s safe to say that many Republicans remain firmly in Trump’s favor.
Pence continues a noble campaign, with pledges to lead the country with “integrity and civility,” but the reality remains: he has a huge amount of work to do to become a serious challenger to his former ally.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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