Former Vice President Mike Pence defended his commitment to sign the loyalty pledge to debate his fellow Republican 2024 presidential hopefuls.
Pence spent the better part of the segment on Meet the Press criticizing his former boss Donald Trump.
UP FOR DEBATE: WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND REST OF REPUBLICAN 2024 FIELD STAND ON KEY ISSUES
The former president has denied the allegations Pence launched in his book about pressuring his then-vice president to overturn the 2020 election. At the time, Pence explained in an interview with Chuck Todd on Sunday, the lawyers Trump had chosen to counsel him would only say “what his itching ears longed to hear.” Todd asked Pence how he could sign the loyalty pledge, potentially pledging to support Trump should he be the Republican nominee, despite all of his criticisms of the former president.
“Well, Chuck, what I’ve said is I’m happy to meet the criteria for the upcoming Republican presidential debates. I’m incredibly proud that more than 40,000 Americans in just nine weeks have supported our campaign and made it possible for us to qualify for the debate stage,” Pence said. “In fact, Chuck, I think I’ll qualify for the second debate before we get to the first one because more Americans are seeing that my consistent conservative record, my years as vice president, my years as governor here in Indiana, my years as a house conservative leader for 12 years are really just what the nation needs.”
Todd pressed Pence, asking him if he considered himself to be a MAGA Republican. Pence skirted the question, saying he was “proud” of the work he accomplished under the Trump-Pence administration. The NBC host tried asking the former vice president a second time.
“Look, I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order. I’ve always said that. People who know me, those are my values, those are my ideals, Pence said. “I really believe that the agenda that I’ve always been about, that I’m looking forward to taking to that debate stage, is the agenda that will bring this country all the way back.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
While Pence has committed to sign the pledge, he has yet to officially do so. The Washington Examiner reached out to the Pence campaign for comment.
Pence is facing off against former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former governor to New Jersey Chris Christie, former Texas representative Will Hurd, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, political commentator Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in the race to win the GOP presidential nomination. DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Burgum, Haley, and Scott have signed the loyalty pledge.
