Former President Donald Trump and Mike Pence have a strained relationship, and that’s understandable since MAGA rioters wanted to kill the former vice president on Jan 6 during the deadly insurrection. And on top of that, Trump unleashed a tweet during the storming of the U.S. Capitol to attack his own vice president for lacking “the courage” to overturn the election for him. That was right after Pence had to be ushered out of the Capitol for his safety. So, the timing is very suspicious — unless you’re a psychopath.
The Washington Post reported that Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, had to act as go-betweens to urge Trump to reach out to his own vice president after the insurrection.
“Five days after the attack, on Jan. 11, Trump and Pence also met in person in the Oval Office for a lengthy meeting that was officially dubbed “a good conversation” but privately described as stilted and uncomfortable, according to several people familiar with the meeting,” the news outlet reports. “Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, at the time both senior White House advisers, acted as go-betweens, with Ivanka urging her father to reach out to Pence, two people familiar with the planning said.”
You wouldn’t think it would be difficult for Trump to reach out to Pence since the former president’s supporters were trying to hunt him down on January 6 with gallows erected just outside — but, apparently, it was.
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“Kushner later described the meeting as a difficult situation, jokingly likening it to his efforts at brokering peace in the Middle East, a person familiar with his comments said,” the report states.
Pence is still making excuses for Donald.
“One ally described the former vice president as frustrated with what Trump did and said it would change his relationship with Trump forever,” the report continues. This person added, however, that Pence does not share the animus or fury that some of his former aides have for the president. Pence told allies that Trump was getting bad advice from some of his senior staff, who allowed baseless claims about the election being stolen to reach his desk, a second Pence ally said.”
About that timing.
New York Magazine reported that “new information about the January 6 mob attack on the Capitol reveals that former president Donald Trump sent a tweet admonishing Mike Pence for lacking the “courage” to try to overturn the election a few minutes after he learned his vice-president was in physical danger from a mob he instigated.” What a psychopath.
Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr, under Creative Commons license 2.0
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