- According to Bloomberg Senior White House Correspondent Jennifer Jacobs, Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump met at the oval office today for the first time since the riots at the Capitol.
- A senior administration official told CNN that Pence and Trump, “reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans, and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term.”
- On Sunday, NBC News confirmed that Pence and Trump still had not spoken.
- Pence’s willingness to “end their term” signals that he does not support invoking 25th Amendment proceedings against Trump, which Insider first reported last week.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued an ultimatum to Pence saying that if he did not invoke the 25th Amendment, Democrats will vote on impeaching Trump.
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President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met and spoke for the first time since the deadly riot at the Capitol last week, an insurrection that transpired while Pence was inside presiding over the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election win.
According to Bloomberg News’s senior White House correspondent, Jennifer Jacobs, the two met at the Oval Office today during a meeting that was not publicly announced.
A senior administration official present at the meeting told CNN that Pence and Trump, “reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans, and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reports described the meeting as friendly and stated that Pence wanted to tout what he and Trump see as the administration’s wins.
Last week, as a violent mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol while Pence was inside, CNN reported that Trump did not call to check on Pence or his family. On Sunday, NBC News confirmed that Pence and Trump still had not spoken.
On Monday, Republicans blocked an attempt by House Democrats to introduce a resolution for Pence to forcibly remove Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave Pence a deadline to invoke 25th Amendment or the House will move to impeach the president.
Democrats have planned to take up a vote to impeach Trump on Wednesday for his role in the insurrection; he could become the first president to be impeached twice.
Over the weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that she tried to reach out to Pence to gauge his willingness to explore the 25th Amendment, but was placed on hold and did not get through.
“I was at home, so I was running the dishwasher, putting my clothes in the laundry. We’re still waiting for him to return the call,” Pelosi said Sunday on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”
According to the reports, Pence is hoping to set a positive spin on the administration’s accomplishments through events in their last week, while also facilitating Biden’s transition.
Pence has stated that he will attend Biden’s inauguration while last Friday, Trump confirmed that he will not attend President-elect Biden’s inauguration.
After last week’s riots and chaos, federal authorities are taking extra security precautions around Washington, DC, and the Capitol buildings in advance of the inauguration next week.
