(Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump dismissed his past running mate’s decision not to endorse him, saying on Tuesday that he “couldn’t care less” whether former Vice President Mike Pence supports him or not.
Pence, who briefly ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, appeared hopelessly out of touch during his campaign with the way the Republican Party has evolved, expressing his unwavering support on the Biden administration’s CIA-sponsored forever war in Ukraine and other areas where Trump has taken a more politically pragmatic stance.
He revealed last week that he would not endorse Trump, arguing he disagrees with the former president on abortion, tariffs and the Jan. 6 Capitol uprising.
However, Pence noted that he was “incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world.”
When asked about Pence’s comments, Trump responded, “Oh, I couldn’t care less. We need patriots. We need strong people in our country. Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly.”
Trump went on to list the border crisis as a top issue that should cause Republicans to rally behind him as the GOP’s nominee: “Millions of people coming across the border, coming from jails, from prisons, coming from mental institutions and insane asylum terrorists. We need strong people in this country. We don’t need weak people,” he said.
Nikki Haley, who also ran against Trump in the primary before dropping out after Super Tuesday, likewise declined to endorse Trump in her concession speech, arguing Trump needs to “earn” her voters’ support.
Much of the rest of the GOP field has thrown their support behind Trump though, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump recently ruled out Ramaswamy on his short-list for vice president, according to reports, although there were indications that the energetic businessman was being considered for the role of Homeland Security secretary.
It was unclear if DeSantis remained in consideration.
During a townhall last month with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump mentioned DeSantis and Ramaswamy among the six names on his short-list to replace Penceas his running mate. Others were: Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
