Mike Pence says he's still friends with Donald Trump despite angry mob that tried to kill him
Vice President Mike Pence may have been rushed out of the U.S. Senate to protect his life on Jan. 6. He may have been terrified for his life and the life of his family when insurrectionists built gallows and chanted "hang Mike Pence." But after a few months, Pence claims it's all water under the bridge.
CNN reported that the former vice president "harbors no hard feelings toward Donald Trump and reportedly plans to launch an organization 'defending the successful Trump-Pence record of the last four years.'"
"He spoke very favorably about his relationship with President Trump," Indiana Republican Jim Banks told CNN. "I got the sense they speak often and maintain the same personal friendship and relationship now that they have for four years."
It's a contrast from the Jan. 11 reports that Trump didn't even call to check on Pence after he had to flee for his life. It was almost a week later that the two eventually did speak, CNN reported at the time. A month later, Trump advisers say that the former president still hasn't expressed any remorse for the Capitol attack and that their relationship seemed "damaged."
"Pence, who plans to keep laying low during the impeachment trial, has not quite patched up his relationship with Trump after what happened, according to a source familiar with the situation," the report said.
The source said that in the Jan. 11 conversation, Pence and Trump "discussed everything," but remained focused on getting through to Jan. 20.
"He got his point across at the meeting afterward," the source told CNN, noting that there were "some lingering hard feelings" as the former president didn't express any remorse for the danger he put Pence and his family in.
But the New York Times reported that when Pence finally reached the end of his rope "it wasn't pretty."
"The rift between Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence has dominated their final days in office — not least because the vice president has the power under the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office with support of the cabinet. The House voted on Tuesday demanding that Mr. Pence take such action or else it would impeach Mr. Trump," said the Times.
"Mr. Pence ultimately discovered that loyalty to Mr. Trump only matters until it does not. Tension between the two had grown in recent months as the president railed privately about Mr. Pence," the report also said.