(FiveNation.com)- In an interview last week, former Vice President Mike Pence refused to say if he would back former President Donald Trump if he wins the Republican nomination, saying instead that he believes that Republican voters will “have better choices.”
Pence, who sat down with CBS News reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns last Wednesday, said he expects to make a decision on whether to run for the GOP nomination by the spring. When asked how he could win over the segment of the Republican base who remain “upset” that he refused to reject the certification of Biden’s victory on January 6, Pence said he has “confidence in the American people.”
Pence told Huey-Burns that he didn’t believe any other Republican candidate could have defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Noting that he initially supported someone else in the 2016 Republican primary, Pence said he realized that Trump was the one who “offered a change of leadership” and the right campaign to defeat the Clinton machine.
He said he believes Republican primary voters “chose wisely” in 2016 and he is “confident” they will do so again in 2024, adding that he is also confident that the 2024 GOP nominee will “carry the day” in the general election.
When Huey-Burns asked Pence if he would support Trump if he becomes the GOP “standard-bearer” in 2024, Pence said he thinks Republican primary voters will have “better choices” and he trusts them to “sort it out.”
In late February, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said Republicans running for the nomination will be required to pledge their support for the eventual nominee if they want to participate in the first primary debate later this year.
While appearing at CPAC over the weekend, former President Trump refused to say if he would make that pledge, telling reporters that it would depend on the candidate, the Washington Times reported.
Trump told reporters that there are some people talking about running that he “wouldn’t be very happy about endorsing.”
