Former Vice President Mike Pence talks about his first conversation with Donald Trump after leaving the White House in 2021. The meeting took place at the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington DC on Thursday.
“He greeted me when he came down the aisle. I stood up, and extended my hand. He shook hands with me. I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President,’ and he said, ‘Thank you, Mike,'” Pence, 65, shared with Christianity Today.
When former presidents, first ladies and Vice Presidents gathered at the National Cathedral on Thursday for Jimmy Carter’s funeral, Pence remarked, “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that God sent me one of these lines.” Kept on.” The media highlighted his handshake with Trump and noted Karen Pence’s apparent refusal to acknowledge him.
“I’m really blessed that I’ve heard so much from people across the country who saw (our) handshake, and saw some hope in that handshake that maybe we are moving forward from those difficult days. That’s certainly my hope,” he said.
“The opportunity to talk to the president was something I appreciated, I welcomed it,” he said.
Pence’s relationship with Trump deteriorated after the former president publicly criticized Pence for certifying the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021. That day, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”
Reflecting on his past, Pence recalled his last conversation in office. “I said, ‘You know, there are probably two things we will never agree on. We will probably never agree on what my duty was under the Constitution on January 6. And I will never stop praying for you. “I won’t,” Pence said. “That’s right, Mike. Don’t ever change.”
During the podcast, Pence also addressed speculation about his wife Karen Pence, who was reportedly seen ignoring Donald and Melania Trump during the funeral service.
“You’d have to ask my wife about her attitude, but we’ve been married 44 years and she loves her husband and her husband respects her deeply,” Pence said.
Mike Pence entered the presidential race in 2023 but dropped out by the end of the year. When he refused to endorse Trump, the former president shrugged it off, saying he “couldn’t care less” and saying, “We need strong people in this country, we need weak people. Not there.”
