Pence Moves Hint Toward 2024 Run; Will He Challenge Trump?

Did Mike Pence just drop a hint about his future?

If so, then it would explain why Pence was so quick to turn on President Trump.

Many Constitutional experts believe that Pence had the authority to help determine which electors sent to Congress were the real ones.

At the very least, he could have shown support for the Electoral Count Act.

He could have also backed the initial demands for a 10-day audit.

Instead, Pence appeared to stab President Trump in the back.

And now… we know why.

It is being reported that Pence is forming a fundraising group.

This is the strongest indicator yet that Pence wants to run in 2024.

It is likely that President Trump may also throw his hat in the ring.

If this happens, will Pence fight against his former boss?

Former VP Pence plans to settle back in Indiana and form a policy-focused fundraising committee that would help him maintain a relationship with donors. pic.twitter.com/evh9cZh7Pk

— Politicking (@politickingapp) February 1, 2021

So Pence is out of office. Some people turn to charitable work. But Pence’s immediate intention is to build a "fundraising committee that would help him maintain a relationship with donors,” report @HallieJackson and @albamonica.

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 31, 2021

I'm thinking the @GOP is going to run a @NikkiHaley & @Mike_Pence ticket in 2024. Thoughts?

— Justin Brady (@JustinBrady) January 24, 2021

A fundraising group would help him keep in touch with donors.

Why else would he want to stay in touch with donors unless he his plotting a political future?

NBC News has more details:

Former Vice President Mike Pence is beginning to build a political future without Donald Trump, including making plans to form a policy-focused fundraising committee that would help him maintain a relationship with donors, according to multiple sources familiar with his plans.

Pence, who left Washington and took a post-inauguration vacation with his wife in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, ahead of resettling in Indiana, is expected to announce his new venture in the coming weeks, sources said.

To say the end of his time in office was rocky would be to put it mildly. His relationship with Trump has been virtually non-existent since a mob of the former president’s followers stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to assassinate Pence and overturn the outcome of the election. Before the Jan. 6 riot, Pence’s time with Trump had been defined by the vice president’s role as a loyal soldier.

After Pence and his family had to be rushed from the Senate chamber and hidden from the rioters, it has raised questions about whether he might testify in Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial, which will consider whether the former president was guilty of insurrection for encouraging his supporters to go the Capitol.

However, there have not been signals from lawmakers who will conduct the impeachment trial that Pence could be called as a witness, such discussion of conducting depositions or preparing a statement.

And those close to Pence think his lawyers would argue he can avoid testifying by invoking executive privilege, according to one Republican source. Executive privilege is a doctrine that has been used to prevent the legislative branch from compelling testimony from the executive branch.

But it remains unclear whether the staff members who were with Pence on Jan. 6, and who experienced the riot as well, would also be able to invoke executive privilege.

Pence also seems prepared to start a new chapter and move on.

Within the next month, he is likely to announce the formation of a non-profit social welfare organization to amplify his positions on a “consistent conservative philosophy,” as one person familiar with the plan described it. Such groups, known as 501(c)4’s, can be active on political issues, but are not allowed to engage in campaigning, and can attract millions of dollars by keeping their donors secret.

Starting his own group would give Pence a foothold in the fundraising world, allowing him to maintain relationships with donors in case he decides to run for president in 2024.

Trump hasn’t announced any intentions about 2024.

However, there are many advisors on the record saying that Trump is seriously considering running again.

Would Pence sit out 2024 if Trump decides to run again?

I am sure Pence has his eyes on the presidency, especially if Trump is unable to run in 2024. He refused to invoke the 25th amendment because he doesn't want the base to turn against him.
He is very slick. He would do great in the debate stage of the campaign.

— 🍁 Stoneface Jan says "Yes" to drugstore zucchini. (@JanTheMan2010) January 25, 2021

Mike Pence 2024 please

— Chloe Renee (@ChloeRenee1999) January 25, 2021

It appears that 2024 hopefuls are already making their moves.

Even though 2024 is several years away, some are arguing that Pence’s chances are already over.

According to the Independent:

Donald Trump has already teased that he plans to run for president again in 2024, returning to the world of presidential politics with a revenge campaign aimed at rectifying his baseless, conspiratorial allegations that massive voter fraud cost him the 2020 election.

Regardless of his intentions, Mr Trump may not be allowed to run again in 2024. The House impeached Mr Trump for a second time, alleging he committed seditious acts by inciting the violent siege at the Capitol. If he is convicted in the Senate, the president may be barred from seeking public office ever again.

Even if he is not barred, Mr Trump’s aides told Politico that he is being warned against running again by aides and other Republican allies.

The president reportedly has his own reservations about a second run, as he would have to provide financial details ahead of a second run that could make him vulnerable to ongoing investigations into his finances underway by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

So, if Mr Trump does not carry the Republican banner in 2024, who will?

Plenty of GOP heavy lifters are vying to become the face of the post-Trump Republican party, some by appealing to Mr Trump’s base, others by trying to place as much distance between themselves and the president as possible. Here’s what we know:

Up until the events of the Capitol riot, Vice President Mike Pence appeared to be a potential shoe-in for GOP frontrunner in 2021. The logic went like this: Mr Pence would have been a perfect bridge between the traditional GOP and the populist base that Mr Trump activated. Since Mr Pence was the president’s right hand man, it stood to reason he would be a popular pick among Mr Trump’s base, but his more measured and traditional approach to Republican politics would put “Never Trump” Republicans and conservative fence-sitters at ease.

However, that equation changed dramatically after the attack on the Capitol. Mr Trump held Mr Pence responsible for accepting the states’ electoral votes that confirmed Joe Biden would be the incoming president. Rioters who attacked the Capitol said they wanted to hang Mr Pence, who was whisked away during the opening clashes on the Capitol steps.

Considering his newfound place in the gallery of people Mr Trump holds accountable for his loss, it may mean Mr Pence has little to no chance of winning over the president’s base, making a 2024 run much more difficult for the outgoing vice president.

No matter what the media says, we will continue to stand behind President Trump.

He is the first president in our lifetimes to truly put America First.

Shouldn’t we all want that in a president?

Instead, Biden appears to be America Last.

And other GOP hopefuls appear to be swamp creatures.

Please, Mr. President, we ask for you to run again!