The magnitude of Pence refusing to endorse Trump
Washington PostMar 16
Mike Pence Refuses to Endorse Donald Trump
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The Facts
Former Vice Pres. Mike Pence on Friday announced that he will not endorse Donald Trump, alleging that his former running mate and the president he served with is pursuing a platform "at odds with the conservative agenda" they governed on for four years.
Pence argued that Trump seems to have walked away from conservative principles, pointing to the presumptive GOP nominee's views on abortion and national debt and an alleged softening of a tough-on-China stance.
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Though several prominent Trump-skeptical Republicans have already endorsed the former president as if there were no alternative to him other than Joe Biden, Mike Pence has boldly offered a permission structure for Republicans whose endorsements are still up for grabs. There are mounting reasons not to back Trump — either for not being a real conservative or for being a threat to democracy.
Pro-Trump narrative
If Mike Pence had been a true Republican, as he claims to be, he would have endorsed Trump by now, as the former president has already clinched the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. This friendly fire from "Republican in Name Only" elites is the only thing that can prevent Trump from becoming the 47th president. Yet, even they know that another Biden term would threaten the very viability of the republic.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Donald Trump will be elected to be US President in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
