Former Vice President Mike Pence would not rule out running for president in 2024 or saying that former President Donald Trump should run again during an interview Tuesday.
"All of my focus right now is on 2022," Pence said during an interview on FOX Business Tuesday morning. "I think we have a historic opportunity to reclaim majorities in the House and Senate, to elect great Republican governors around America and, in 2023, I'm confident the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who will be the next President of the United States of America.
"And at the right time, my family and I will reflect and consider how we might participate in that process."
Pence then pivoted to the war in Ukraine and said that President Joe Biden's policies were "weakening" the nation.
"But now more than ever with war in Europe and with an administration seemingly intent on weakening our country, driving our nation toward a European-style welfare state, we need strong Republican majorities on Capitol Hill and strong Republican governors, and that’s what we are going to work to achieve," he said.
Pence, who served as vice president under Trump from 2017-2021, said Biden and Congress should enact a ban on Russian oil and gas to "bring the kind of pressure that we must bring to bear if we hope to stop this mindless, senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine."
Biden announced Tuesday morning that he would ban Russian energy imports, CNN reported.
"Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia's economy. We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy," CNN reported that Biden said in remarks from the White House. "That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."
According to The Hill Tuesday, Pence spoke with donors over the weekend, criticizing his former boss, Trump, for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin's move to invade Ukraine "genius."
"There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin," The Hill reported him saying at the gathering.
A political advocacy group founded by Pence, Advancing American Freedom, announced Monday it would be spending $10 million in political advertising, targeting 16 House Democrats during the 2022 midterm elections.
Pence has distanced himself from Trump since losing the 2020 election, rebuking Trump's claims of election irregularities and fraud, and refusing to stop the Congressional certification of the election results.
According to The Hill's report, Pence would likely find running in 2024 an uphill battle between those in the party loyal to Trump, and the potential candidacy of popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who stood up to the Biden administration's vaccine and mask mandates in his state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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