Former Vice President Mike Pence officially kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign in Iowa on Wednesday, and in a speech he said why he would be at odds with former vice presidential candidate Donald Trump, and why he would. He mentioned whether he believed he was qualified to lead the United States.
“Given the endorsement of our track record, you may well wonder why I would challenge a former vice presidential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. and a promise to Almighty God, and ends with two different visions of the future of our party and country.January 6th was a tragic day for the life of our nation. Violence is quelled by courage, [and] We reconvened Congress that day,” Pence said during his speech.
“That day, President Trump’s reckless remarks put my family and everyone in the Capitol at risk. “You should know that I asked you to choose between. Now voters will have to make the same choice. I chose the Constitution and I will continue to do so,” he continued.
“Four years ago, I took an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ The Bible says, ‘He will keep his oath even when it hurts.'” My Marine son once reminded me, “Dad, you took the same oath as I did,” so I did. Article 1(3) of the Constitution stipulates that the President of the Senate, in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives, shall open all certificates and then count the votes. Nothing more, nothing less. But despite the fact that the Constitution does not give the vice president the power to reject or remand the electoral votes, the former president continues to insist that I have the right to overturn the election. President Trump was wrong then and is wrong now,” Pence added.
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I believe in the American people, and I believe God is not done with America. Together, we can take this country back. The best days are yet to come for the greatest nation on earth. 🇺🇸 #pence2024 pic.twitter.com/A8EkqgCDAm
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 7, 2023
“By the grace of God, I still believe that I did my duty that day by keeping my oath to transfer power peacefully in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country. I know a lot of people are still disappointed about that…I can relate, I was on the ballot, but I had no right to overturn the election, Kamala Harris has no right to overturn the election if we win in 2024. I will always be grateful to President Trump for what he has done for our country…I will do anything for the President. It’s been years since then…and I expected him to come back and realize he had misunderstood my role that day, but he didn’t. He continued. (Related article: ‘I actually believe in something’: CNN’s Van Jones praises Mike Pence’s presidential run)
Earlier that day, Pence released a video of him running for president in 2024. In the video, Pence appeared to attack former President Donald Trump by saying different times require different leadership. Trump remains the frontrunner in the Republican primary. (Related: Mike Pence Releases 2024 Presidential Election Campaign Video)
Pence formally submitted papers to run for president on Monday.
