Donald Trump has accused his former vice president Mike Pence of being responsible for the Capitol attack on January 6th, 2021. Trump referenced Pence's refusal to reject the electoral college votes in Congress, which Trump had sought, as the underlying cause of the attack. Pence had previously stated that Trump was "wrong" to demand that he overturn the election, something Pence maintained that he had no power to do.
The Manhattan District Attorney has also invited Trump to testify before a grand jury about potential campaign finance violations related to payments made to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump made these comments while in Iowa where he was giving a speech on education policy. His chief rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, had visited the same city the day before. Trump criticized DeSantis' past stances on Medicare and Social Security and alleged that he was "very, very bad on ethanol".
Trump's claims come in response to Pence's remarks at the Gridiron Dinner, during which he said that "history will hold Donald Trump accountable" for the January 6 events. Trump has argued that the riots would not have occurred had Pence sent the votes back to the legislatures. Pence has repeatedly said that he did not have the constitutional authority to reject the electoral votes and that Trump was wrong to suggest he did.
Trump's remarks have sparked a heated debate over the power of the Vice President and the culpability of the 45th President for violence at the Capitol. The former president has attempted to shift blame for the attack to Pence, suggesting that he could have simply overturned the election results at the Capitol that day. Trump has acknowledged that the crowd was there to see the election results overturned and that he bears primary responsibility for the violence of the day.
As Trump and Pence continue to clash over the events of January 6, both men are now potential candidates in the Republican presidential primary 2024, raising the stakes of their disagreement even higher. Trump has already declared his candidacy while Pence is reportedly considering a campaign of his own, having made numerous trips to early primary states.