Former Vice President Mike Pence said he congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory during former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service on Jan. 9, when the two former colleagues exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
“He greeted me when he came down the aisle. I stood up, extended my hand. He shook my hand. I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President,’ and he said, ‘Thanks, Mike,'” Pence told Christianity Today in a Jan. 10 interview.
The funeral in Washington, D.C., marked the first time Trump and Pence had been in the same room since their administration ended in January 2021. While Trump sat next to former President Barack Obama, Pence and his wife were seated with the other former vice presidents a row behind Trump.
Pence told Christianity Today that he welcomed the opportunity to exchange words with Trump. The feedback that he says he received indicates the handshake was a step toward healing and reconciliation after the challenges of their final days in office.
“I’ve really been blessed at how much I’ve heard from people around the country who saw [our] handshake, and in that handshake, saw some hope that we might be moving past those difficult days,” Pence said. “That’s certainly my hope.”
The relationship between Trump and Pence soured after Pence refused to pause the certification of then-President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 victory on Jan. 6, 2021, despite pressure from Trump and protesters.
Pence said in an interview on CBS in August 2023 that Trump asked him to override the Constitution with his request not to certify the 2020 election.
“I know in my heart of hearts that on January 6, I did my duty. I kept my oath to the Constitution of the United States,” Pence told CBS in the interview. “President Trump was wrong. He was wrong, then. He’s wrong now. I had no right to overturn the election.”
Around the same time, Trump attorney John Lauro said that Trump wanted Pence to pause the certification to allow the legal process to catch up to resolve the dispute over the election, which Trump maintains to this day he won and was cheated out victory.
Trump and several of his lawyers have argued that Pence had the authority to reject electoral votes from states where there were claims of widespread election fraud under the 12th Amendment and Electoral Count Act of 1887.
The rift between the two grew when Pence ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
Pence ultimately withdrew from the presidential race without endorsing Trump.
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