Pence is 'ashamed' of Trump and will run against him in 2024: former White House official
Mike Pence's former press secretary said Saturday she believes he will run against Donald Trump in the GOP primary in 2024.
Alyssa Farah, who went on to become Trump's White House Director of Strategic Communications, blasted the former president for defending Capitol rioters who called for Pence to be hanged, in an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl that was released this week.
"It's comments like that that will never make me feel bad for never again defending Donald Trump, because as you said it's completely indefensible," Farah told CNN.
Trump told Karl he wasn't worried about Pence's safety on Jan. 6 because the vice president was "well protected" and "in good shape." But Farah pointed out that members of Congress who were in the Capitol didn't enjoy the same Secret Service protection.
"What about the other 535 lawmakers who don't have security details?" Farah said. "It was fine that their lives might be threatened because of this? It's just absurd, it's indefensible, and I have to hope that conservatives and Republicans of good faith hear things like that and say, 'We don't need four more years of this man.'"
Asked why she thinks Pence agreed to even meet with or speak with Trump after the attack, Farah said it's because the former vice president is "very deferential to both the chain of command and the institution of the presidency."
"I think he would always take a call from Donald Trump, he would always take a meeting if one was requested of him," she said. "I think those must have been very awkward and tough conversations. I've always known Mike Pence to be a person of deep character and conviction, so I don't doubt that in those private communications, he communicated how bad (Jan. 6) was, and how inappropriate it was — not for him, but for the country. And I think you're going to see a bit more distancing as time goes on. There's aspects of the record they did together that I know Pence is proud of, but I know he is ashamed of that day, he is ashamed of how the former president conducted himself."
Asked whether Pence will run against Trump in 2024, Farah said, "I think he will," adding that she has no special knowledge of his plans.
"There's this belief that people are just going to clear the field for Trump," she said. "I actually think some folks are teeing up to run ... and it's a good thing for the party. A coronation of Donald Trump would be the worst thing both for the party, but more importantly for the country."
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