Comment Former Vice President Mike Pence said Donald Trump’s rhetoric during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol was “reckless” and that the former president’s actions “endangered” members of the Pence family and those trapped inside the building that day. “I mean, the president’s words were reckless,” Pence said in a preview clip of his interview with ABC’s “World News Tonight” published Sunday. “It was clear that he decided to be part of the problem.” Pence was referring to Trump’s tweet, posted as the riot unfolded, about Pence’s refusal to throw out the 2020 election results. The tweet said Pence “didn’t have the guts to do what needed to be done.” Days earlier, Trump and his allies had publicly urged Pence to overturn the election results for Trump, even though the vice president had no legal right to do so. Pence told ABC anchor David Muir that he was “furious” when Trump posted the tweet. “I turned to my daughter, who was standing nearby, and said, ‘It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law,” he said. Pence’s comments on ABC appeared to be the strongest he has delivered on Trump and the turmoil on Capitol Hill since tensions between the two men escalated in the final days of the Trump administration. Pence has been mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential candidate. Five people lost their lives or as a result of the January 6 attack, and about 140 police officers were attacked when a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, breaching security barriers and forcing lawmakers and aides to barricade themselves inside their offices as they feared for their lives. Police rushed other members of Congress, including House and Senate leadership, to secure locations. In surreal scenes that shocked the United States and stunned the world, crowds descended on the Capitol, many chanting “Stop the theft!” as they echoed Trump’s baseless claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020 election. Many also chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” Desperate, angry, destructive: How Americans turned into a mob A Washington Post investigation into the attack noted a series of failures that occurred before, during and after Jan. 6, and how Trump’s social media statements fueled anger and political unrest in the months leading up to the uprising. “Big protest in DC on January 6th,” Trump tweeted in December 2021. “Be there, it’s going to be wild!” The investigation found that Trump received immediate warnings about the dangers on Jan. 6, but stayed 187 minutes before telling his supporters to go home. Law enforcement officials also did not respond promptly to warnings of violence, and first responders are struggling with deep trauma as a result of the attack, The Post study found. How the Jan. 6 hearing turned out on the pro-Trump web As the uproar unfolded, Twitter suspended Trump and removed three of his tweets, saying they incited violence and fueled baseless conspiracy theories about the election. Facebook followed suit. Both companies later permanently banned Trump from their platforms. More than 840 suspects have been charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, The Post reported in July, citing court filings, case documents and other public information. The House impeached Trump on charges of inciting rebellion, but the Senate voted to acquit the president after a multi-day trial. Last month, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack subpoenaed Trump himself for testimony and documents, demanding he testify under oath — a move Trump has tried to block. Last week, the former president filed a lawsuit against the commission, arguing that the subpoena is invalid because it lacks a “valid legislative purpose.” The GOP failed to capture the Senate and posted smaller-than-expected gains in last week’s midterm elections, prompting many Republicans to look beyond Trump as a presidential candidate in 2024. Control of the House of Representatives remains undecided. Pence, meanwhile, has hinted that he may launch his own bid for the White House and face Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Trump is expected to announce his third bid for president on Tuesday. “There may be someone else I would prefer,” Pence told an audience at Georgetown University when asked last month if he would support Trump for president in 2024. “We’ll keep you posted.” Pence’s ABC interview is set to air in its entirety Monday afternoon. Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.
