Former VP Mike Pence Appears to Break With Trump on 2024, Throws Shade at America First

On Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence may have given the biggest hint thus far on what his plans for 2024 might be.

During an appearance at Georgetown University, Pence was asked by a student if he would support former President Donald Trump in 2024.

There was some laughter and a bit of buzz from the audience. Pence smiled and paused for a moment and said, “Well, there might be somebody else I prefer more.”

From his expression and tone of voice, Pence very well could have been hinting at his own plans to run for President. And the comment elicited a smattering of applause.

Pence continued, saying, “All my focus has been on the midterm elections, and it’ll stay that way for the next 20 days. But after that, we’ll be thinking about the future.”

Watch:

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Other 2024 Candidates And Poll Numbers

There has been much speculation about whether Pence will make his own run for the White House in 2024. And his name usually appears somewhere in any list of possible 2024 GOP candidates. Although this early, he appears toward the bottom of most lists.

For poll junkies, the most interesting thing about any list of possible Republican presidential candidates, is that two separate lists are emerging. There is the list that includes Donald Trump, and the list that does not include the former president.

Other names that have been talked about besides Trump and Pence are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tim Scott (R-SC), former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll and a New York Times/Siena college poll, in a list that includes Trump, he is at the top of the list with 55% and 49% respectively. DeSantis sits at 17% and 26% respectively. No one else – including Pence – polls out of single digits. 

For Mike Pence, the numbers change dramatically in the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll with Trump out of the equation. Ron DeSantis takes the lead with 40%, but Pence breaks out of the single digits to come in at 18%. And again, other names do not reach above single digits. 

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Throwing Shade At America First

In another recent speech, Mike Pence spoke about the war in Ukraine, using that topic as a jumping-off point to attack populism. He said:

“Our movement cannot forsake the foundational commitment that we have to security, to limited government, to liberty and to life. But nor can we allow our movement to be led astray by the siren song of unprincipled populism that’s unmoored from our oldest traditions and most cherished values. Let me say: This movement and the party that it animates must remain the movement of a strong national defense, limited government and traditional moral values and life.”

Pence also explicitly attacked America First, and laid out his neoconservative vision:

“Now, I know there is a rising chorus in our party, including some new voices to our movement, who would have us disengaged with the wider world. But appeasement has never worked, ever, in history. And now more than ever, we need a conservative movement committed to America’s role as leader of the free world and as a vanguard of American values.”

“As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make it clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay.”

Back in August, a week after the raid at Mar-a-Lago, Pence may have ruffled a few conservative feathers during a speech at St. Anselm College, when he criticized those calling to defund the FBI. He likened it to Democrats calling to “defund the police” and called it “just as wrong.”

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But he seemed to stand with his fellow Republicans saying he was “troubled” by the “politicization” of the FBI, and stated that the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland needed to be “more forthcoming” about what prompted the search of Trump’s Florida estate. 

Many other possible 2024 contenders may be waiting it out to see what Donald Trump might do.