Mike Pence: ‘History will hold Trump accountable’ Approach to subsidy dispute: EU and US take important step

Former US Vice President Mike Pence has distanced himself from his former boss Donald Trump in an unprecedented fashion. History will hold Trump accountable, Pence said after reports from US media Saturday night in Washington. He was referring to the role of the then-voted president when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pence was his vice president for four years. The two could now compete against each other in deciding the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

“President Trump was wrong. I had no right to review the election results. And his careless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” Pence said. The 63-year-old was speaking at the dinner of the Gridiron Club, a journalists’ association. He also left open whether he would run for the White House.

Pence, as Senate President, was tasked with formally confirming the result of the November 2020 election lost by Trump. On that January 6, supporters of the president-elect stormed the seat of parliament to stop the proceedings. Trump had previously openly called on his deputy to block confirmation of the election. To this day he does not admit defeat, but speaks – without any evidence – of electoral fraud.

At the Saturday dinner, where guests usually joke about other American politicians, Pence began his speech with some offhand remarks about Trump, his successor Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and several possible 2024 Republican candidates. was one thing he didn’t laugh at and called January 6, 2021 a “tragic day”.

Pence praised the media’s role. “We were able to hold our position – also because you held your position. The American people know what happened that day because you never stopped reporting,” Pence said. He called for never downplaying rioters’ violence against law enforcement. “As long as I live, I will never belittle the injuries, the lives lost or the heroism of the police on that tragic day.” (sda/dpa)