Former vice-president Mike Pence stated on Sunday that "political violence has no place in America," referring to the incident that targeted his former boss, Donald Trump, at a Republican rally. Pence further emphasized on the social media platform X that such violence "must be universally condemned." Trump, who is set to receive his party's formal nomination at a Republican convention in Wisconsin this week, claimed he was shot in the right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The incident resulted in the death of a bystander and left two other spectators critically injured, while the shooter was neutralized by a Secret Service sniper. Despite blood on his face, the 78-year-old Trump responded by raising his fist to the shocked crowd before being quickly escorted away by Secret Service agents. Pence expressed on X that he and his wife Karen are "praying for his full recovery and for those who were lost and injured in this terrible attack." Pence was one of Trump's most loyal supporters until the events of January 6, 2021, when he defied his boss by refusing to block the certification of Joe Biden's election victory, leading to an angry mob of Trump supporters storming the US Capitol, with some demanding Pence's life. Pence later accused Trump of endangering his life and his family's through his provocative rhetoric prior to the Capitol assault. As a Christian evangelical, Pence further upset his former boss during this year's Republican primaries by briefly challenging him. Supporters of the former president now regard Pence as a traitor, and Trump, who is expected to soon announce his choice of a running mate, has dismissed any possibility of selecting the former Indiana governor again.
Text: Lara Palmer
14.07.2024
Pence's Loyalty Questioned After Defying Trump on Election Certification