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Former Vice President Mike Pence gave some of his strongest public criticisms of his ex-boss on Saturday night, accusing the former president of putting his family in danger on Jan. 6 and saying that history will “hold Donald Trump accountable.”
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said during his speech at the Gridiron dinner, a formal event in hosted by journalistic organization the Gridiron Club. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Pence and his family were present at the Capitol during the attack on Jan. 6. Protesters descended on the building and some of the mob chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” and erected a gallows because the vice president refused to stop the counting of electoral votes. Trump has said that Pence “deserved” the chants.
Pence also made jokes at Trump’s expense during the dinner. He said that Trump’s ego was so delicate that he asked Pence to perform the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” at their lunches each week. And he sniped at Trump’s handling of classified documents, saying, “I read that some of those classified documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually stuck in the president’s Bible. Which proves he had absolutely no idea they were there.” Taking a swipe at the many investigations Trump is the subject of, Pence said, “Honestly, I learned a lot working beside Donald Trump. Like about subpoenas, for example.”
Pence’s comments serve to distance himself from Trump as the former VP considers a potential 2024 presidential run. “I was in the news last week when I declined to say whether I would support one of the other possible Republican candidates in 2024. Let me clear that up tonight,” Pence said at the dinner. “I will wholeheartedly, unreservedly support the Republican nominee for President in 2024… if it’s me.”
In his remarks, Pence also took a homophobic swipe at Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, saying that Buttigieg took “maternity leave” when he and his husband adopted twins. “Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” Pence said. He also joked about pronouns, claiming he is so religious that his pronouns are “thou” and “thine.”
Pence has a long history of discriminating against the LGBTQ community. He opposed gay marriage and legislation that would prevent workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As governor of Indiana, he signed into law a bill that allowed business owners to discriminate against LGBTQ customers.
