(TheProudRepublic.com) – With Mike Pence having killed off his presidential campaign – surprisingly to some but quite logically to others – his former boss, Donald Trump, has given his former vice president one last chance to counter disloyalty accusations by endorsing him for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Former President Donald Trump has publicly urged former Pence, who withdrew from the 2024 presidential contest during a speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition on Saturday, to give him an endorsement.
“People are leaving now and they’re all endorsing me,” Trump declared to an audience in Las Vegas Sunday, as cited by National Review.
“I don’t know about Mike Pence. He should endorse me. You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency and he was the vice president,” he added.
“But people in politics can be very disloyal,” stated the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
The alliance between Trump and Pence deteriorated notably following the contentious 2020 election and the subsequent events of January 6 at the Capitol.
Trump has continued to insist that, as vice president and president of the US Senate, Pence possessed the authority to reverse the election outcome, holding him accountable for not doing so.
This appeal from Trump surfaced just hours after Pence announced his departure from the presidential race at the Republican Jewish Coalition Conference.
“It’s become clear to me it’s not my time… I’ve decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today. To the American people, I say: this is not my time, but it is still your time,” the former vice president said.
Before his withdrawal, Pence was ranked fifth in the RealClearPolitics polling average, holding a modest 3.5% support.
Meanwhile, Trump, as the frontrunner, maintains a substantial 46.5-point advantage over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently second in the race.
In the wake of Pence’s announcement, several other 2024 Republican candidates extended their commendations.
“Vice President Mike Pence is a principled man of faith who has worked tirelessly to advance the conservative cause,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remarked on X,
Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN, said Pence was “a good man of faith” and “a good man of service,” who has steadfastly supported America and Israel.
Pence’s exit marks the second withdrawal from the presidential race in the past week, following conservative radio host Larry Elder, who suspended his campaign a few days prior.
TRUMP ON PENCE: “He should endorse me…because I had a great, successful presidency”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 29, 2023
