Awkward or Not, Trump and Pence Meet

They discussed the past and the rest of their terms, administration official says
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 11, 2021 8:00 PM CST
Updated Jan 12, 2021 2:33 AM CST
Trump and Pence Thaw Enough to Chat
President Trump speaks in the White House press briefing room as Vice President Mike Pence listens in November.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

For the first time since Vice President Mike Pence had to be spirited out of the House chamber and guarded in a more secure location, he met with President Trump on Monday evening. "The two had a good conversation" in the Oval Office, a senior administration official said. Trump was angered that Pence didn't try to block congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory the day that rioters stormed the Capitol, the Hill reports, and the president and vice president had maintained silence since. Pence had told Trump last Tuesday, the day before the certification, that he didn't have the legal right to intervene. While the Capitol was under attack, Trump tweeted that Pence lacked courage, per MarketWatch. The official didn't say whether Trump and Pence discussed any of those issues Monday.

They did agree that the rioters "do not represent the America first movement backed by 75 million Americans," the official said. The rioters shouted that they were looking for Pence, and his staff has received threats since then, per CNN. The disagreement on certification was the first public one between Pence and his boss during Trump's term, per Fox News. Since Wednesday, House Democrats have called on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and move to remove Trump. The vice president has given no indication that he'll do that. In addition, the administration official said, Trump and Pence spent their time Monday "discussing the week ahead and reflecting on the last four years of the administration's work and accomplishments." (More Mike Pence stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X