A trending video captures ex-Vice President Mike Pence addressing former President Donald Trump’s backers after they jeered at him, labeling him a “betrayer.”
Pence is currently on the campaign trail seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. During a New Hampshire campaign event on Friday, he faced jeers from some Trump loyalists.
Notably, Pence recently criticized Trump, who was charged with four federal offenses on Tuesday following a Department of Justice investigation into the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. Trump has denied these charges, referring to them as “baseless.”
Such criticisms from Pence have set him apart from other GOP presidential hopefuls who view any critique of Trump unfavorably.
A brief video of Pence’s reaction to the jeering crowd quickly garnered attention, receiving over a million views on X (formerly Twitter) within hours of its upload.
Upon his arrival for a town hall at the American Legion Hall in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Pence was met with vocal opposition from about a dozen Trump enthusiasts carrying placards and flags.
As Pence stepped out of his car, the group berated him, labeling him a “betrayer” and “renegade” for not supporting efforts to reverse the 2020 election in Trump’s favor.
Historically, Pence’s refusal to aid in Trump’s alleged endeavors to negate the 2020 election outcome had made him a focal point during the Capitol disturbance, with some participants even chanting hostile slogans against him.
While Pence had once been a staunch supporter of Trump, the violent incident at the Capitol led to a rift between them. Trump had reportedly tried to convince Pence that he possessed the authority to reverse the 2020 election’s outcome during Congress’s certification. Pence, however, stood by the Constitution.
After the recent indictment of Trump related to the Capitol events, Pence rebuked the former president for prioritizing his interests over the country’s foundational document.
As Pence vies for the presidency in 2024, he has cited Trump’s comments leading up to the insurrection to present himself as a more principled candidate.
Merchandise quoting Trump’s description of Pence as “too forthright” from the federal indictment related to the Capitol riot is even available on Pence’s campaign site.
This indictment claims that in the days preceding the riot, Trump once more tried pressuring Pence to back his cause. When rebuffed, Trump reportedly commented on Pence’s honesty.
Such remarks from Pence have drawn the ire of some die-hard MAGA followers.
Kelsey Walsh, a campaign journalist for ABC News, shared a brief video of Trump’s followers taunting Pence during his town hall arrival.
Walsh’s post on X relayed how around a dozen Trump loyalists confronted Pence, dubbing him a “renegade.”
One heckler questioned Pence’s allegiance to the Constitution, to which Pence retorted, “I stood by the constitution. Study it.”
Walsh’s post recounted the encounter: “A group of Trump’s supporters confronted Mike Pence during his Friday event, shouting ‘you betrayed us,’ ‘you let us down,’ and questioning his defense of the constitution. Pence responded emphatically, ‘I honored the constitution,’ further challenging them to ‘Study it!'”
Watch:
A dozen Trump supporters approached Mike Pence’s vehicle as he entered his Friday event yelling, “that’s a traitor,” “you’re a sellout,” and “why didn’t you uphold the constitution?”
“I upheld the constitution,” Pence shouted back.
As they badgered him he yelled, “Read it!” pic.twitter.com/gKpeB2mntO— Kelsey Walsh (@Kjwalsh_news) August 5, 2023
