Trump predicts it would be a ‘hard’ race for Pence should the former vice president make a bid for 2024

Former President Trump appeared to cast doubt on former Vice President Mike Pence’s viability as a 2024 presidential contender, saying in a new interview that it would be a “hard” election for Pence should he choose to run.

During an interview with CBN News published Wednesday, the Christian news outlet asked Trump about Pence’s chances at the presidency should the former vice president choose to run.

“I don’t want to say,” Trump responded. “If Mike got in, I think it would be a hard one for him. I think it would be a hard one. I understand where the base is. I love the base. The base loves me. I think it would be hard, but Mike was a good guy. I thought he was a very good vice president. He was my friend.” 

Asked about his relationship with the former vice president, Trump responded that he had not spoken to him in months. 

“Honestly, I haven’t spoken to Mike in a long time,” the former president said, later adding, “A long time is four or five months. I haven’t spoken to him in a long time. And he’s a nice man. He disappointed me on one thing because I think he should have sent the votes back to the legislatures.”

Trump has not formally said whether he will be running for reelection in 2024, an announcement that will likely come after the November midterms. 

The events surrounding the aftermath of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot showed fault lines in the relationship between the two men after Pence refused efforts to toss out the 2020 presidential election results as Trump and his allies baselessly claimed widespread fraud had occurred.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner in March, the former president signaled that Pence would not be his running mate for 2024.