Former vice president Mike Pence spoke called former President Donald Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021 “reckless” and “indefensible” during an interview on Face The Nation Sunday.
“The president’s words and actions in and around January 6 were reckless. The tweet that he issued the day . . . endangered my family and endangered people that were in the Capitol and was indefensible,” Pence said during the interview.
Pence’s interview was part of the promotional tour for his new book, So Help Me God, which sheds new light upon his perspective of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
“But on January 6, I have to tell you, I had to put that [my anger] aside. The president decided to be a part of the problem. I was determined to be a part of the solution,” Pence told host Margaret Brennan.
However, the former vice president was less direct when it came to questions of whether Trump was “derelict in his duties” or needed to be held accountable. “I am confident that the American people will hold all those responsible at the end of the day and history will be their judge,” Pence said.
The statements come a day after the former vice president called Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to appoint a special counsel to oversee criminal investigations into Donald Trump “very troubling.”
In recent weeks the former vice president has gone on a media blitz to build his public profile ahead of the 2024 Republican presidential race. Pence has already quietly met with financial backers as well as released a new book in a bid to seemingly shore up his position ahead of the race. His former boss, Donald Trump, announced his intention to run earlier this week.
Pence has yet to formally announce his intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination.