Mar 19, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trump "couldn't care less" that Pence is not endorsing him

Erin Doherty

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio. — Former President Trump speaks at a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16 in Vandalia, Ohio. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Former President Trump said Tuesday that he "couldn't care less" that his former vice president, Mike Pence, is not endorsing him in the 2024 presidential election.

Why it matters: Pence said last week that he "cannot in good conscience" endorse Trump in 2024, in the latest sign of the widening rift between the former vice president and president following the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

Driving the news: "I couldn't care less," Trump said after voting in the Florida primary on Tuesday. "We need patriots. We need strong people in our country," he added.

"Our country is going down hill very fast ... We need strong people in this country, we don't need weak people."

The big picture: Pence, who mounted an unsuccessful 2024 presidential bid, said last week that he was not endorsing Trump, noting "profound differences" between himself and Trump "on a range of issues."

Trump "is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years," Pence said.

State of play: Pence, who stood loyally by Trump during the administration, became a vocal critic of the former president after the Capitol riot, when Trump defended the threats to "hang" the former vice president.

Many of Pence's former GOP presidential rivals have fallen in line behind Trump after competing with him on the campaign trail.

Go deeper: Mike Pence suspends presidential campaign as Trump surges

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Trump "couldn't care less" that Pence is not endorsing him

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