March 15 (UPI) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday he would not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024.
Multiple media sources cited an interview with Fox News during which Pence said, “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.”
“Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years, and that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.”
Pence said his decision was driven mostly by Trump’s stance on the national debt, his stance on abortion and his reversal on a potential ban on TikTok.
Trump has drawn criticism from abortion opponents for not supporting a federal abortion ban and criticizing Florida’s six-week ban as “too harsh.”
Despite this, Trump has taken credit for overturning Roe vs. Wade in 2022 after nominating three conservative Supreme Court justices.
Trump also reversed his opinion on legislation that would ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the app. Trump said he now opposes the ban “because there are a lot of people who talk that love it.”
The former vice president first broke with Trump over his decision not to overturn the 2020 presidential election, certifying President Joe Biden‘s win. Pence later blamed Trump’s “reckless words” for the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, where many protestors called for his hanging.
“I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration,” said Pence. “But that being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues. And not just our differences on our constitutional duties that I exercised on Jan. 6.”
Pence declined to say who he would vote for in November, except that he “would never vote for Joe Biden.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also refused to endorse Trump after his short-lived presidential campaign. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who ended her presidential bid earlier this month, also indicated she would not vote for Trump.
Other former primary rivals have fallen in line behind the presumptive GOP nominee. Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out after the Iowa caucuses in January, announced his support for Trump, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who suspended his campaign later that month, did so, as well.
