- Pence dodged a question about whether he would vote for Trump again in 2024.
- "Well, there might be somebody else I'd prefer more," Pence said, smiling.
Former Vice President Mike Pence coyly dodged a question about whether he would vote for former President Donald Trump again in 2024.
Pence was answering questions during an event at Georgetown University on Wednesday. He was asked by a student if he would vote for Trump if his ex-boss became the 2024 Republican nominee for president.
Pence paused for a moment before smiling and saying: "Well, there might be somebody else I'd prefer more."
The former vice-president added that he had "every confidence that the Republican Party is going to sort out leadership."
"All my focus has been on the midterm elections and it will stay that way for the next 20 days," Pence said.
"But after that, we're going to be thinking about the future, ours and the nation's. And I'll keep you posted, ok?" he told the student.
Pence has not announced a presidential run himself. But a former Pence adviser, Olivia Troye, told CNN in July that Pence has long "desired" the presidency himself, calling this a "known thing in Pence's orbit."
Troye made these comments when Pence made a trip to Capitol Hill in July, his first since leaving office in January 2021. There, he was lauded by GOP lawmakers for "defending our Constitution" on the day of the Capitol riot.
Pence now has a strained relationship with Trump after the latter tried and failed to get him to overturn the 2020 election.
In June, White House aides told the January 6 panel Trump had a "heated" call with Pence on the morning of January 6, 2021. During this call, Trump spouted profanities at his vice president and called him a "pussy" for presiding over Congress' certification of the 2020 vote count, per aides' testimony to the panel.
Many Trump supporters turned on Pence when he broke with his then-boss and certified the vote. Some erected makeshift gallows and chanted "hang Mike Pence" during the Capitol riot — actions that Trump later privately expressed support for, the Jan. 6 panel revealed. Trump also tweeted during the attack that Pence did not have "the courage to do what should have been done."
For his part, Pence has stood by his decision to not help overturn the election. In February, he told the Federalist Society that "Trump is wrong" about him having the right to overturn the election." During that event, Pence also called the idea that one man could choose the president "un-American."
Pence also said in November 2021 that he was guided by the Bible and founding father James Madison when he stood up to Trump and certified the vote. "Psalm 15 says he keeps his oath even when it hurts," Pence said at the time, referencing his oath of office to defend the Constitution.
Pence also distanced himself from Trump after the Capitol riot. The Washington Post reported in June that Pence has not spoken to Trump in more than a year. The Post spoke to Pence's advisers, who said the former vice president has turned down several invitations to visit Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. A spokesman for Pence did not immediately respond to Insider's question on Pence's intention to run for president in 2024.