Former VP Mike Pence Skewers Donald Trump, Says Trump's Words Almost Got Him and His Family Killed During January 6
The relationship between former President Donald Trump and his second-in-command, former Vice President Mike Pence, has been strained since the events of the January 6 Capitol insurrection when Trump egged on his supporters who chanted "Hang Mike Pence!"
While he had been quiet about his ordeal publicly, Pence is not holding anything back anymore as he spoke with ABC's "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir during an interview.
The former Indiana governor and U.S. vice president stated that Trump's words were "reckless," and added that "It was clear he decided to be part of the problem."
Pence also told Muir that he became angry over a tweet made by Trump as the insurrection unfolded, which stated that the then-VP "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done." This tweet further egged his supporters on to hunt for Pence who narrowly escaped the rioters.
The Trump tweet rebuffed his then-vice president for not giving in to pressure from him and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections. However, as revealed during the January 6 hearings, Pence chose to go with the Constitution and certified the victory of now-President Joe Biden.
With this, the former VP and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate admitted to Muir that not only did Trump's words endanger himself and his family, but also everybody else inside the Capitol building,
"The president's words were reckless and his actions were reckless," he said in the interview with ABC News.
Trump publicly berated Pence for not blocking the certification of Biden's victory, as well as repeated debunked and baseless conspiracy theories about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential elections. He ultimately told rioters to go back home, but reports indicated that he reluctantly did so.
READ MORE: January 6 Hearing: Donald Trump Finally Subpoenaed After One Year of Investigations
Donald Trump Told Mike Pence He Was 'Too Honest'
Aside from the ABC News interview, Pence is also releasing a memoir titled "So Help Me God." An excerpt from the upcoming Pence book revealed that during the lead-up to the events of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Trump told his vice president that he was "too honest" when he hesitated to pursue legalistic attempts to stop certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.
The Guardian reported that Trump warned Pence that his supporters would "hate his guts" if he refused to do Trump's bidding. This led to the pro-Trump mob to hunt for Pence, seeking to hurt him for refusing Trump's order.
Mike Pence Confronted Donald Trump Days After January 6
According to Yahoo! News, Pence also revealed in the book that he met with Trump a few days after January 6. The then-president asked his VP if he was "scared" on January 6. To this, Pence replied "no" and told Trump that he was angry.
"I was angry. You and I had our differences that day, Mr. President, and seeing those people tearing up the Capitol infuriated me," said Pence.
Pence also blamed anti-Trump conservative group, The Lincoln Project, saying that they angered Trump. He stated that their ad "put the final nail in the coffin" of his re-election campaign by certifying Biden's win.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Pence writes about Trump, Jan. 6 in new book - ABC News