Pence calls Vice President-elect Harris to offer congratulations ahead of inauguration

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Vice President Mike Pence called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Thursday to discuss the transition of power to the new Biden administration, Fox News has confirmed. 

The call marked the first contact between elected officials from the Trump administration and the incoming Joe Biden administration. President Trump hasn’t reached out to President-elect Joe Biden and has repeatedly made unfounded claims that Biden didn't win.

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Pence called Harris to offer his congratulations and assistance with her transition to becoming the new second-in-command. The outreach was two months after the presidential election and just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration. 

Vice President Mike Pence speaks to National Guard troops outside the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

The call comes amid a split between Trump and Pence over the certification of the electoral vote before a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. Trump erroneously insinuated that Pence had the power to throw out Biden's victory while Pence was playing a largely ceremonial role over the count.

Trump put pressure on Pence publically during the rally before the Capitol insurrection to do something and pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol on the hunt for the vice president chanting "Hang Mike Pence!"

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Pence, who had been a very loyal vice president, was reportedly angry with Trump over how he treated him.

Pence will attend Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Trump will not.

Trump, who was impeached in the House Wednesday for his role in sparking the deadly riot at the Capitol, is expected to travel to his resort at Mar-a-Lago in Florida the morning of Jan. 20 and miss the inauguration. 

Trump will reside at his Palm Beach resort after his presidency. 

Unlike Trump, Pence has been very visible since last week’s storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters and far-right extremists, who were protesting the certification by Congress of Biden’s Electoral College victory over the president. 

The vice president took part in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) briefing on Thursday and made a surprise visit to the Capitol to greet National Guard troops and thank them for their service.

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"We all lived through that day of January the 6th," Pence said at the FEMA briefing. "We are committed to an orderly transition and to a safe inauguration. The American people deserve nothing less."

Fox News' Peter Doocy, Brooke Singman, Paul Steinhauser and Pat Ward contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed.