Former Vice President Mike Pence is officially running against former President Donald Trump for the top job, and he used his 2024 campaign launch to send a hidden message to supporters of his old boss.
On Wednesday, Pence kicked off his bid for the Oval Office after months of speculations as to whether or not he’d go up against Trump for the Republican nomination.
But it’s not only Trump who the former vice president is prepared to challenge. Pence also took a shot at Trump’s supporters with his launch, reminding Americans that he abided by his constitutional duty by not blocking the certification of the electoral college votes on January 6, 2021.
The wi-fi password for members of the press and media who were covering Pence’s campaign launch was “KeptHisOath!” according to a photo of the log-in details tweeted by Semafor’s Shelby Talcott.
In the days leading up to January 6, Trump had mounted immense pressure on Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 election in his favor and prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden‘s win. Pence’s refusal to do so, despite Trump’s requests, caused a soured Trump mob to turn on him and even chant “Hang Mike Pence!” as they stormed the Capitol building.
Trump has refused to forgive Pence for not blocking the certification, continually criticizing his old running mate over his actions from nearly two and a half years ago.
Earlier this year, the former president blamed Pence for the Capitol riots, saying, “Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with January 6, so in many ways you can blame him for January 6.”
Scott Eisen/Getty
Pence has repeatedly defended himself, saying that Trump was “wrong” to ask him to abuse his power as the vice president.
“I had no right to overturn the election,” the former vice president told politicians and journalists at this year’s annual Gridiron Dinner in March. “[Trump’s] reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
A February 2022 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that the majority of Republicans, 52 percent, agree that Pence had no ability to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Comparably, only 36 percent sided with Trump—findings that Quinnipiac Polling Analyst Tim Malloy called “a rare break in the GOP lockstep with Trump.”
But while most voters agree with Pence on January 6, he still faces an uphill battle to beat out Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Despite the various scandals and controversies surrounding Trump, he remains the leading contender in the Republican field. Following Trump’s lead is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is in a clear second place, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has significantly less support than Trump or DeSantis but is still ahead of Pence.
As of Wednesday, RealClearPolitics shows Pence with a 3.6-point polling average, Haley with 4.4, DeSantis with 22.4 and Trump with 53.2.
