JAKARTA - Four years as Vice President of the United States in the Donald Trump Administration, Mike Pence criticized his former boss for the riots on Capitol Hill, Washington DC in 2021, when he launched his campaign for candidacy in the 2024 United States Presidential Election from the Republican Party.
Pence issued criticism regarding Trump's role in the January 6 attack, when Trump's supporters stormed the US Congress to try to stop lawmakers from passing Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 Presidential Election.
"I believe that anyone who places himself above the Constitution should not be President of the United States, and anyone who asks others to put himself above the Constitution should no longer be President of the United States," Pence said in a speech in Iowa, which begins the Republican nomination contest next year. June 8.
It was an extraordinary attack by Pence, not only because he mostly avoided attacking Trump directly until now, but also because the January 6 attacks were rarely mentioned by other Republican presidential candidates.
They see it as political poison, fear of condemning the attack and Trump's role in it will exile Trump supporters and other Republican main voters. Trump himself is currently a leading candidate in the Republican race.
Pence puts high-risk bets, that voters in the nomination contest will reward him for supporting the Constitution, not Trump. Pence said Trump's actions that day "dangered my family and everyone in the Capitol."
Four years as Trump's representative at the White House, Pence repeatedly defended him through various scandals. However, he angered Trump and his supporters when he was president of the Senate ceremonial, he refused to stop Biden's winning certification.
Pence said on Wednesday he had no constitutional authority to interfere with the election results and that Trump was "wrong". In a tweet on Twitter on January 6, Trump accused Pence of being a coward.
Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill during the certification process, forcing Pence, family members, lawmakers, and staff to flee to safety. Several rioters shouted for Pence to be hanged.
Hello, Iowa! Indiana will always be home, but @KarenPence and I wanted to be here today, in person, because we know this is where the great American Comeback begins! 🇺🇸 #Pence2024 pic.twitter.com/mPYBaFwbng
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 7, 2023
Hello, Iowa! Indiana will always be home, but @KarenPence and I wanted to be here today, in person, because we know this is where the great American Comeback begins!
"The American people have the right to know that on that day, President Trump also demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. Now voters will be faced with the same choice. I chose the Constitution and it will always be that way," he said.
Announced his candidacy, Pence will participate in the race with Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who have already announced nominations. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also announced a nomination this week, increasing the number of Republican White House candidates to double digits.
It is known, it is very rare for a vice president to run against the president he serves, and that has only happened several times in US history.
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The increasing number of candidates could pave the way for Trump's victory, as they risk breaking anti-Trump votes, allowing the former president to nominate himself under the same circumstances in 2016, party members and strategists say.
Pence, who is a conservative Christian, will focus most of his campaign in Iowa. The state has a large number of evangelical voters among its Republican voters. Pence hopes a strong performance in the state will give it momentum and encourage it to compete.
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