“President Trump was incorrect,” Pence mentioned. “I had no proper to overturn the election. And his reckless phrases endangered my household and everybody on the Capitol that day. And I do know that historical past will maintain Donald Trump accountable.”
The previous vice chairman was talking on the Gridiron dinner, a white-tie occasion thrown by journalists in Washington, D.C. that this yr featured speeches by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy along with Pence. The annual occasion tends to be a lighthearted affair, with skits and parody songs carried out by members of the Washington press corps.
The evening additionally options comedy routines from politicians, the place they typically are extra prepared to chop unfastened, maybe as a result of the Gridiron doesn’t permit tv cameras. Pence’s efficiency included his personal try at a comedy routine, which included knocks on his former operating mate.
“I as soon as invited President Trump to Bible examine,” Pence mentioned early in his speech. “He actually preferred the passages concerning the smiting and perishing of thine enemies. As he put it, ‘Ya know Mike, There’s some actually good things in right here.’”
Pence additionally hinted about his personal potential run for president. “I’ll wholeheartedly, unreservedly help the Republican nominee for president in 2024,” he mentioned. “If it’s me.”
However close to the tip of Pence’s speech he turned critical, saying that there was one subject he wouldn’t joke about.
“The American individuals have a proper to know what befell on the Capitol on January sixth,” he mentioned. “However make no mistake about it, what occurred that day was a shame, and it mocks decency to painting it in some other manner.”
