Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday morning on Fox & Friends that voters will have “better choices” in 2024 than former President Donald Trump.
Trump announced Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago he would be running for a second term as president. Trump did not mention who his pick for vice president would be, but ruled out choosing Pence in a September speech, saying it “would be totally inappropriate” for Pence to be his running mate. (RELATED: Pence Says Trump ‘Endangered Me And My Family’ On Jan. 6)
The former vice president, who fell out with Trump after the then-president blamed him for refusing to overturn the results of the 2020 election, also told hosts he was giving “prayerful consideration” to the possibility of running for president himself.
Pence said on Fox & Friends he was “excited” that the GOP took back the House in the midterms and was “anxious” to see if Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker would win in Georgia.
“I think the American people are really focused there, but it’s a free country,” Pence said. “The president’s entitled to announce his intentions whenever he desires. I honestly believe that we’ll have better choices come 2024. I don’t think anybody could’ve—”
“Better choices than Donald Trump?” host Steve Doocy interjected.
“I do,” Pence reiterated. “I don’t think any one could have beaten Hillary Clinton other than Donald Trump. I write that in my new book. I learned that on the campaign trail with him in 2016. And the record that we created — that I know he reflected on last night, where we rebuilt our military, revived our economy, secured our border, appointed conservatives to our courts at every level — is something I’ll always be proud of.”
Despite his defense of Trump’s record, Pence said he’s heard from several constituents since leaving office that they want to bring back Trump-era policies but want better leadership.
“There’s a genuine desire for leadership that could unite the country around our highest ideals. And leadership that would reflect, I think, more of the civility and respect than Americans show each other every day,” Pence said. “I’m out of politics now, and once you get out of politics and we moved back to Indiana, you realize the American people actually get along pretty well most days, and it’s our politics that’s deeply divided. I just think I have a sense the American people want a new style of leadership that’ll reflect the way they deal with one another every day.”
Trump made the big announcement Tuesday night, saying the U.S. needed a “leader that can bring back our jobs, can bring back our manufacturing, can bring back our military, take care of our vets.” Republicans have splintered on whether Trump should be the GOP nominee in 2024, with several high-profile Republicans questioning whether Trump is the future of the party.