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They spent four years working together in the White House, but former Vice President Mike Pence tells Fox News it’s been months since he and former President Donald Trump have chatted.
Pence has been in a precarious position among many in the GOP base since the storming of the U.S. Capitol last January by right wing extremists aiming to disrupt congressional certification of now President Biden’s Electoral College victory over Trump. Some members of the violent mob that breached the Capitol were chanting “hang Mike Pence.”
Pence was at the Capitol at the time it was attacked, overseeing the joint session of Congress. By following his constitutional duties instead of following Trump’s wishes and overturning the results, Pence has endured the wrath of the former president and plenty of Trump’s most devout loyalists and supporters.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE’S JAN. 6 CONUNDRUM
For a year, Pence has repeatedly described the deadly attack on the Capitol as “tragic” and that he did “the right thing” and performed his “duty under the Constitution.” And while acknowledging a number of times that he and Trump may never “see eye to eye on that day,” he’s maintained that he and his former boss have continued to keep in touch.
President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President Mike Pence for a campaign rally at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan on November 2, 2020. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) ( (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images))
“You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office,” Pence stated during a speech in New Hampshire last June.
On the popular conservative “Ruthless” podcast, the former vice president said in September that “we’ve spoken probably a dozen times since the inauguration.”
Pence told Fox News’ host Sean Hannity in October that “we’ve talked a number of times since we both left office.”
WHY MIKE PENCE’S NEW HAMPSHIRE SPEECH WAS SO IMPORTANT
And Pence has even argued a couple of times that Democrats and the media have used the storming of the Capitol to”discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans.”
Fast-forward to this past Thursday and Fox News’ host Jesse Watters asked Pence “when was the last time you talked to former President Trump? You guys good?”
“You know, we talked last summer,” the former vice president revealed as he answered the question.
Pence then reiterated that “I did my duty under the constitution of the United States, but the president and I sat down in the days that followed that, we spoke about it, talked through it, we parted amicably.”
Both Trump and his former vice president could potentially face off if both decide to bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Trump has repeatedly flirted with making another White House run and Pence is making the early moves that could eventually lead to a bid of his own.
Pence, who’s been crisscrossing the country to help fellow Republicans running in the November elections, told Fox News during a stop in New Hampshire in early December that after the midterms are over, “we’ll do as our family has always done. We’ll reflect and pray and consider where we might next serve.”
Trump appears to be downplaying Pence’s chances.
“I think Mike has been very badly hurt by what took place in respect to January 6,” Trump argued during an event in Florida last month. “I think he’s been mortally wounded, frankly, because I see the reaction he’s getting from people.”
Trump hints at ‘pardons’
The former president once again flirted with making another White House run in 2024 during a large rally he headlined Saturday night in Conroe, Texas.
Trump predicted that Republicans would be taking back “that beautiful, beautiful, house that happens to be white.”
He also charged that the rioters from last year’s attack on the Capitol are being treated “so unfairly.”
FILE – In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo rioters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) (AP)
“If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly. We will treat them fairly,” Trump said. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons.”
More than 700 people have been charged in connection with the storming of the Capitol.
Santorum’s stop in Iowa sparks 2024 speculation
Rick Santorum’s stop in Iowa on Tuesday raised a few eyebrows, sparking some speculation that the former conservative senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 and 2016 Republican presidential candidate might be testing the waters for another White House run.
“Washington is not gonna fix Washington,” Santorum told a crowd gathered at the Iowa state capitol building in Des Moines. “Iowa is gonna fix Washington.”
TRUMP 2024 TEASE DOESN’T STOP OTHER POTENTIAL 2024 GOP CONTENDERS FROM MAKING EARLY STATE VISITS
Santorum spoke at an event organized by the Convention of States Action. The group is pushing to convene a constitutional convention to amend the U.S. Constitution in order to rein in the federal government. The Constitution requires 34 states to call a constitutional convention, and so far 16 states have passed resolutions to convene such a gathering.
A Republican strategist close to Santorum said that the former senator serves as a senior adviser for Convention of States Action and that he travels the country on behalf of the group.
“He’s out there fighting for this issue every day right now,” the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News.
Asked if Santorum is mulling another White House run, Fox News was told that “2024 is not something that’s on his radar.”
Poll position
A Marquette Law School national poll released this past week suggested that Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would run equally well against President Biden in hypothetical 2024 general election matchups.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING
The current president topped Trump 43%-33%, with 22% saying they either preferred someone else or wouldn’t vote, according to the poll, which was conducted Jan. 10-21.
Biden held a 41%-33% advantage over DeSantis, with 26% saying they either preferred someone else or wouldn’t vote.
A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll also released last week suggested Biden trailing a generic Republican 46%-37%, with the unnamed Republican candidate topping the president 41%-21% among independent voters.
But when matched against actual potential GOP contenders, it’s a different story.
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The poll, conducted Jan. 22-23, puts Biden at 45% and Trump at 44%, with the president edging Pence 44%-42%, DeSantis, 44%-39%, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 45%-39%
Meanwhile, six in ten voters questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted Jan. 16-19 said they’d back someone else other than Biden if the 2024 presidential election were held today.