Mike Pence and Donald Trump Have Spoken for the First Time Since U.S. Capitol Riots: Reports

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke Monday for the first time since last week's U.S. Capitol riots, according to multiple reports.

A senior administration official told CNN and The Hill the president and vice president spoke in the Oval Office on Monday, after they reportedly had gone days without speaking.

"The two had a good conversation, discussing the week ahead and reflecting on the last four years of the administration's work and accomplishments," the official told the outlets.

White House spokespeople for Trump and Pence did not respond to PEOPLE's request for further details on their conversation.

Trump, 74, had publicly pressured Pence, 61, to illegally use his position as vice president to overturn the 2020 election results last week when Congress met to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

But Pence released a statement before Congress met last Wednesday, informing both the president and the public that he didn't have the constitutional power — or any intention — to intervene with the country's vote.

The president then gave a disgruntled and angry speech outside the White House complaining about his loss, telling the crowd Pence needed "to come through for us."

"If he doesn't," the president added, "that will be a sad day for our country because you're sworn to uphold our Constitution."

Trump then encouraged his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol building, saying, "Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong."

Once there, the mob became violent and ransacked the Capitol building, forcing Pence and other lawmakers to be quickly evacuated and placed under lockdown. Some in the pro-Trump mob were heard chanting that they wanted to "hang" Pence.

Trump did not check in on Pence while the vice president and his family were taking cover during the riots, according to multiple reports, including CNN and The Washington Post. Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said later Wednesday that Trump had banned him from entering the White House.

While rioters clashed with law enforcement inside the Capitol building, Trump tweeted: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"

Twitter has since removed the tweet and permanently suspended Trump's personal account.

Pence returned to the Senate floor Wednesday night and lawmakers ratified the Electoral College vote, cementing President-elect Joe Biden's election over Trump. The vice president vowed that with Congress reconvening after the riots, "the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy."

There has since been pressure on Pence from both parties to invoke the 25th Amendment, which could strip Trump of his power with little more than a week left in his term. Pence is not expected to move forward with the process, while Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives say they will instead move to impeach the president a second time later this week.

Source: Read Full Article