Days after declining to support the Republican front-runner, former vice president Mike Pence charged that former president Donald Trump had been “walking away” from the Constitution.
Pence stated on Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that a lot of people believe his “deep disagreements” with Trump stem solely from the circumstances surrounding the incident in the nation’s capital. Following the attack on January 6, 2021, Pence and Trump went publically sour, with Pence declining to attempt to influence Congress’s certification of the 2020 election.
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However, the former vice president clarified to Margaret Brennan of CBS on Sunday that his disagreement with Trump goes beyond what happened on a single day.
Pence stated, “The question of loyalty to the Constitution is not a trivial one.” However, it goes beyond that. That being said, Margaret, I cannot support Donald Trump this year with a clear conscience because he is abandoning his pledge to fiscal responsibility, the sanctity of life, and American leadership in the international arena in addition to abiding by the Constitution on that particular day.
In the interview, Pence expressed his desire for the eventual GOP nominee in 2024 to support a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks. In recent weeks, as the former president declared his opposition to a law that would have banned the app or forced its sale, he also attacked Trump for seemingly reversing his stance on TikTok.
Pence resisted Trump once more when he was questioned about calling those accused of being involved in the Capitol brawl “hostages.”
“I think it’s very unfortunate that the (former) president or any other leaders would refer to people going through our legal system as hostages at a time when there are American hostages being held in Gaza.” It’s just not right,” Pence declared on Sunday.
Last week, the former vice president made it known that he would not support the former president for a second term in office, reiterating the charge that his former employer had deviated too much from conservative doctrine.
“My decision to not endorse Donald Trump this year should not come as a surprise,” Pence said to Martha MacCallum of Fox News on Friday.
David Jackson, Erin Mansfield, and Jessica Guynn contributed.
Originally published on USA TODAY, this article After declining to support Donald Trump, Mike Pence charges that he is “walking away” from the Constitution.