Former Vice President Mike Pence is attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, further underscoring the returning commander-in-chief’s rising favorability in Washington.
“This is a day when every American does well to celebrate our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States,” Pence said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, hours before the ceremony.
He entered the Capitol Rotunda shortly after 11 a.m. Eastern time, unaccompanied by his wife.
Trump and his former running mate have had a rocky relationship since Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump’s supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol. Many who stormed the building also threatened violence against Pence for refusing block certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
In a 2022 memoir, “So Help Me God,” Pence, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination last year, called out Trump for threats to his own safety. He later slammed the president-elect, saying in a 2023 black-tie event speech that Trump’s “reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.”
Trump clapped back during the campaign, saying without evidence that his former running mate was to blame for the riot “in many ways.”
But the two have made nice in recent weeks, at least for the cameras that caught them shaking hands and exchanging brief words at the Washington National Cathedral during former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral this month.
It was the first time the two had been seen together publicly since Trump pushed Pence not to certify the votes for Biden’s electoral victory almost exactly four years ago.
Onlookers noted that Karen Pence, the former second lady, did not shake hands with Trump and appeared not to acknowledge him either. Mike Pence did not comment on that exchange but told Christianity Today that he congratulated Trump.
“Today, I will attend the Inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the U. S. Capitol,” Pence said Monday. “This is a day when every American does well to celebrate our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States.”
Pence may have dropped out early during the GOP primary but he hasn’t walked away from politics given his remaining influence, particularly among social conservatives. He most recently urged Trump to support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, for instance
Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman
