Donald Trump and former US Vice President Mike Pence in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 2, 2020, in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
- Former Vice President Mike Pence has not spoken to former President Donald Trump in more than a year, a report said.
- Advisors told The Washington Post that Pence even refused invitations to visit Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
- Pence has distanced himself from Trump since the January 6 insurrection.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has not spoken to former President Donald Trump in more than a year, according to a new report.
Advisors told The Washington Post in a report published on Thursday that Pence — once a staunch defender of the former president — has even refused invitations to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Thursday.
Pence broke with Trump in the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection after some in the mob chanted "Hang Mike Pence" when he refused to overturn the results of the election based on Trump's election lies.
Pence's chief of staff told the Washington Post that the former vice president stands by his decision not to go along with Trump's election scheme.
"The way he views it is, he did his duty, he doesn't need to talk about it more," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, said in an interview with The Washington Post. "He doesn't want to re-litigate the past. He believes that voters want to look forward, not backwards."
Pence has put distance between himself and Trump as the former Veep in the Trump administration tests the waters for a possible 2024 presidential campaign.
Pence has not yet officially declared that he would run for president, but he has told others he may run against Trump, The Washington Post noted.
Last month, a spokesperson for Trump attacked Pence as "desperate to chase his lost relevance" and "hoping someone is paying attention" as Pence eyes a presidential run.
"Mike Pence was set to lose a governor's race in 2016 before he was plucked up and his political career was salvaged," Trump representative Taylor Budowich told The New York Times in a story about Pence's 2024 presidential aspirations and endorsements.
"Now, desperate to chase his lost relevance, Pence is parachuting into races, hoping someone is paying attention," Budowich added.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.