Trump doesn’t commit to backing Pence for president in 2024

The Associated Press

6 years ago

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony after placing a wreath in front of ... — Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony after placing a wreath in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Monday, May 27, 2019, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

President Donald Trump gestures into the audience as he speaks about second chance hiring in the East Room of the White House, Thursday June 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says Vice President Mike Pence doesn’t automatically have his backing should he mount his own run for the White House in 2024.

Asked on Friday in an interview with Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” whether he would lend his endorsement to Pence in advance, Trump said, “You can’t put me in that position.”

Trump says that he’d have to evaluate the field of Republicans in five years but that he would give a potential Pence candidacy “strong consideration.”

Pence has not explicitly said he’d seek the White House in 2024, though it is widely expected.