Trump has message for Pence, other Republicans who refuse to endorse him
Pence, who briefly ran for president in the 2024 cycle, and Trump have had an embattled relationship since the 2020 presidential election
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former President Trump is a man on a mission — to win back the White House in November — and he doesn’t have time for Republicans who are standing in his way, he suggested in Florida on Tuesday.
The Republican presumptive nominee spoke with a group of reporters after he cast his ballot in the Florida primary election, which he later won. During the gaggle, Trump was asked about his former running mate and vice president, Mike Pence, and whether Pence’s decision not to endorse him against President Biden bothered him.
"Oh, I couldn’t care less," Trump told the press corps. "I couldn't care less. We need patriots. We need strong people in our country. Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added: "Millions of people coming across the border, coming from jails, from prisons, coming from mental institutions and insane asylum terrorists. We need strong people in this country. We don't need weak people."
PENCE DECLINES TO ENDORSE TRUMP, WON'T BACK BIDEN
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump stand together as they speak with the media after voting at a polling station setup in the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on March 19, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump, along with other registered Republican voters, cast ballots in the Presidential Preference Primary. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Pence, who briefly ran for president in the 2024 cycle, and Trump have had an embattled relationship since the 2020 presidential election and the former vice president announced as recently as last week that he would not endorse his former running mate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year," Pence said on "The Story."
"I'm incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world," he added. "What I'm going to spend the rest of this year on is talking about what we should be for. And that is the broad mainstream conservative agenda that's defined our party and always made America strong and prosperous and free."
Trump, the only Republican still in the presidential primary after Nikki Haley suspended her campaign earlier this month, was declared the winner in the Florida primary election late Tuesday evening.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pence, who briefly ran for president in the 2024 cycle, and Trump have had an embattled relationship since the 2020 presidential election. (John Lamparski)
The comments were similar to Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, who also won his primary contest to be his party’s nominee for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, when he urged Republicans to rally behind Trump — whether they disagreed with his personal antics or not.
"I am so sick of Republicans that will say 'I support President Trump's policies, but I don't like the man,'" Moreno said, drawing some reaction from the crowd. "This is a good man. This is a great American."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He continued: "This man wakes up every day fighting for us, fighting for this country. He loves this country like no other leader in this nation has ever loved this country."
Moreno, who Trump endorsed in the contest, triumphed over Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary on Tuesday. He will face third-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, in November.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk together as they prepare to vote at a polling station setup in the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on March 19, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump, along with other registered Republican voters, cast ballots in the Presidential Preference Primary. There wasn't a ballot or election for Democrats since the Florida Democratic Party only provided the name of Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Since the Republican primary for the presidency has become a one-man race, Trump Republicans are urging others in the party to support the former president as the GOP looks to win back the White House and a majority in the U.S. Senate.
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Republicans are undoubtedly hoping to set aside their differences in an effort to win as Biden remains historically unpopular, immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border continues to set all-time high crossing records and as Americans are forced to continue paying higher prices due to crippling inflation.