Donald Trump on Tuesday glossed over the endorsement snub of his former vice president, Mike Pence.
“I couldn’t care less,” Trump, 77, told reporters after casting his vote in Florida’s primary.
“We need patriots. We need strong people in our country. Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly,” the ex-president went on. “We need strong people in this country. We don’t need weak people.”
Last week, Pence, 64, publicly ruled out the possibility of endorsing his old boss’s re-election bid, admonishing Trump’s behavior related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021.
Donald Trump, here with wife Melania after the pair cast their votes in the GOP primary in Florida on Tuesday, said he “couldn’t care less” about Mike Pence’s endorsement snub. Meghan McCarthy/USA TODAY NETWORK
“The reason that I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump this year also has to do with the fact that he is walking away, not just from keeping faith with the Constitution on [Jan. 6, 2021], but also with a commitment to fiscal responsibility,” Pence told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“A commitment to the sanctity of life, a commitment to American leadership in the world,” Pence added.
But Pence also nixed the notion of voting for Democratic President Biden, 81 — and did not shut the door entirely on voting for Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election, even if he doesn’t endorse him. He explained that he couldn’t “in good conscience” endorse his old running mate.
Earlier this month, both Trump and Biden clinched the necessary number of delegates to lock down their respective party’s nomination in the presidential election.
Pence dropped out of the Republican presidential primary in October.
Former Vice President Pence has accused Trump of walking away from traditional conservative values. @FaceTheNation/X
Trump and Pence fell out during the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, ransacking of the Capitol.
During that time, Trump publicly pressured his No. 2 to decertify the 2020 election results, in which he lost to Biden, but Pence refused, citing the Constitution.
Since then, Trump has assailed Pence publicly. Still, the mild-mannered Indianian insists that he has forgiven his old boss.
Pence joins fellow Republicans such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in not endorsing Trump.
The Republican National Committee had required presidential contenders to sign a pledge committing to back the eventual nominee in order to participate in the debates.
Events leading up to and involving the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot soured Trump and Pence’s relationship. AP
All four of the GOPers took that pledge.
During his brief gaggle with reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed that he voted for himself.
“I voted for Donald Trump,” the former president said with a grin, referring to himself in the third person. “Did somebody just say, ‘Who you vote for?’ Yeah, I voted for Donald Trump.”
Trump is polling neck and neck with President Biden over who will be the country’s next commander in chief. AFP via Getty Images
Trump is on the hunt for a running mate and has made clear he won’t tap Pence again.
A source close to Trump confirmed to The Post that he also ruled out entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy but may tap him for a Cabinet position.
Publicly, Trump has dangled several potential names, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), GOP South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
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