Mike Pence says he has ‘no plans’ to run for president, other offices in 2028

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said he has “no plans” to run for president or any other elected office in 2028.

During an event hosted by the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the organization’s chair David Rubenstein pressed Pence about whether he would consider another presidential bid.

“What I can tell you is that we have no plans,” Pence replied, noting his dedication to his conservative think tank, Advancing American Freedom.

The Republican challenged President Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary but later dropped out of the race after struggling to fundraise and lagging in the polls. Pence did not endorse his former boss at the time and waited until after Trump’s win to congratulate him.

At the end of Trump’s first term, the pair’s relationship soured when Pence refused to halt Congress’s certification of former President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

During his remarks on Wednesday, the former vice president reflected on a meeting he had with Trump five days after the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

“And I looked at him as I got up from our meeting, and I said, ‘Mr. President, I want you to know. I’m praying for you.’ And he looked at me, and he said, ‘Don’t bother,’” Pence recounted.

The Republican recalled responding to Trump that there were “two things we’ll never agree on.”

“I said, ‘I get the impression we’re never going to agree on my duties on Jan. 6, and I’m never going to stop praying for you.’ And I never have,” Pence said.

In the years since, Trump and Pence have had limited public interactions. The former vice president told FOX2-TV in May that it had “been a while” since he’d spoken with the president.

The pair spoke briefly at a funeral service for former President Carter early last year, and Pence attended Trump’s second inauguration just less than two weeks later.