Former President Donald Trump chided his deputy for being "too honest” over the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to revelations made by Former Vice President Mike Pence in his memoir "So Help Me God."
What Happened: Excerpts from the book, published in the Wall Street Journal, detail Trump's interactions with Pence, as reminisced by the former vice president.
In the aftermath of a lawsuit filed by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas.) and other Republicans asking a federal judge to declare that Pence had "exclusive authority" to decide on which electoral votes should be counted, the former vice president told Trump that he believed he didn't possess that power under the Constitution.
"You're too honest," Trump chided. "Hundreds of thousands are gonna hate your guts. . . . People are gonna think you're stupid."
Why It Matters: On Jan.6, Trump called Pence in the morning and the former vice president told him that he had always been forthright with him and he reiterated that he didn't have the power to decide which electoral votes would count, reported the Journal.
Trump said, "You'll go down as a wimp" — adding, "If you do that, I made a big mistake five years ago!"
The former president reportedly told Pence, "You're not protecting our country, you're supposed to support and defend our country!"
Pence said he reminded Trump, "We both took an oath to support and defend the Constitution," reported the Journal.
The book also detailed the last moments the two men in power spent in the Oval Office with Pence telling Trump that he would never "stop praying" for him.
Pence said in August that he was ready to testify before the Jan.6 committee probing the insurrection that took place that day.
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