Mike Pence’s former press secretary claimed on Saturday that she believes he would run in the GOP primary against Donald Trump in 2024.
In an interview with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl, Alyssa Farah, who later became Trump’s White House Director of Strategic Communications, attacked the previous president for defending Capitol rioters who demanded Pence’s execution.
“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 stated.
On Jan. 6, Trump told Karl he wasn’t concerned about Pence’s safety since he was “well-protected” and “in good form.” Members of Congress who were in the Capitol, however, did not have the same level of Secret Service protection, according to Farah.
“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.’”
Farah believes Pence consented to meet or talk with Trump after the attack 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 are 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.”
“I think he will,” Farah responded when asked if Pence will run against Trump in 2024. She added that she has no specific 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.”
In an interview last week, Farrah had warned of a “horror scenario” if former President Donald Trump is re-elected.
She stated that if Trump is re-elected in 2024, he will “definitely” impose some type of dictatorship. She added that Trump’s second term will be “extremely different,” and that this is what most “scares” her.
“There were things that he wanted to do when he was in power the first time that was well beyond the scope of what the US president should be able to do, but oftentimes it was simply the motivation of hoping to win reelection that kept him from doing things,” she added.
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