Pence: Debate viewers saw ‘better choices for 2024’ than Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence said viewers of the first GOP primary debate saw “better choices for 2024” other than former President Trump.

“I think [the American people] got a better sense of what a deep bench the Republican party has and that we have better choices for 2024 for our party,” Pence said in an interview on “CNN This Morning.” 

When asked during Wednesday night’s debate why he raised his hand in response to a question about whether the Republican presidential candidates would still support Trump as their party’s choice, Pence said he was “keeping my word bought,” after signing the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) loyalty pledge. 

“I really do believe more after last night that Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee,” Pence said. “I know that many of you in the media think this is already a rematch between Trump and Biden, I don’t see that.” 

Trump has consistently polled as the front-runner in the GOP primary race, suggesting a possible rematch between Trump and President Biden in the 2024 election. 

A poll from Morning Consult released Monday shows Trump holds a 44-point lead over his GOP counterparts, with 58 percent of likely GOP support, compared to Pence, who showed 6 percent. 

Trump notably was not at the debate, choosing to instead sit for for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Pence and seven other Republican presidential candidates who met the RNC’s qualifications took the stage in Milwaukee, where they sparred on a variety of topics, including the former president and his alleged pressure on Pence to block certification of the 2020 election results. 

Several candidates praised Pence for his decision to not cave under the pressure. Trump later lashed out at his former vice president’s Jan. 6 comments, calling his claims a “fake story” in a post on his Truth Social platform.