A new book about Donald Trump’s presidency gives an insight into the weekly lunches he held with Vice President Mike Pence at the White House.
“The lunches were specifically meant to be an opportunity for Pence to tell the president exactly how hard he was working for him,” journalist and author Michael Wolff wrote in an excerpt of the book “Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency” published by The Times of London. “He usually got ten minutes to do this before Trump snapped on the television and launched into his current list of grievances.”
The book, according to Business Insider, says Trump wondered how Pence “could be such a ‘stiff’ and a ‘square’’ and “regarded Pence as someone not tough, as someone who, he increasingly pointed out, could be ‘rolled.’”
The book also alleges Trump was hoping Pence would overturn the 2020 election, a decision Pence refused to make. Citing a Jan. 5 meeting, Pence refused Trump’s demands to block Joe Biden’s victory. One day later, angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” after the vice president said he did not have the power to overturn Biden’s victory.
Pence has since said he and Trump will never see “eye to eye” over what happened on Jan. 6 but that he would “always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years.”
In June, Pence was speaking at a Republican dinner in the early-voting state of New Hampshire and gave his most extensive comments to date on the events of Jan. 6.
“As I said that day, Jan. 6 was a dark day in history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift action of the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled. The Capitol was secured,” Pence said.
“And that same day, we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States,” Pence continued. “You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on that day.”
Pence is reportedly considering his own 2024 White House run.
Since leaving office in January, Pence has been doing work with the Heritage Foundation and Young America’s Foundation. His team said he plans more trips, including stops in Texas, California and Michigan.
Along with his visits to South Carolina and New Hampshire, Pence has been hitting the fundraising circuit.
Among other prominent Republicans, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said in April that she would stand down if Trump decided to run in 2024. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has undertaken an aggressive schedule, visiting states that will play a pivotal role in the 2024 primaries and signing a contract with Fox News Channel.
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