By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-09 16:26:41 | Updated at 2025-01-10 01:52:58
9 hours ago
Karen Pence refused to acknowledge President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump as they arrived at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday for the funeral of President Jimmy Carter.
The former second lady was seated next to her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, and remained seated as the Trumps arrived.
She made no effort to shake hands with Melania Trump, who she worked hand-in-hand with when their husbands were in office during Trump's first term.
Mike Pence shook hands with Donald Trump after former Vice President Al Gore did the same.
It was their first public interaction since 2021.
Karen Pence remained seated, looking forward, the whole time.
The Trumps and Pences had a major falling out after the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
Trump had wanted Pence to throw out Electoral College votes from swing states that President Joe Biden won, as he chaired the joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election.
Karen Pence (seated center) refused to acknowledge President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump as they arrived at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday for the funeral of President Jimmy Carter
Mike Pence shook hands with Donald Trump after former Vice President Al Gore did the same, marking their first interaction since serving as vice president and president in 2021. They had a major falling out after the January 6 Capitol attack
Pence refused and Trump's supporters went after him - chanting 'hang Mike Pence' and erecting makeshift gallows outside the Capitol Building amid the riot.
The January 6 House select committee found that a Proud Boys informant had told the FBI that if members of the group had found Pence that day they would have killed him.
Still Pence refused to leave the Capitol, hiding out in a garage-like structure deemed a secure location within the complex.
'The vice president did not want to take any chance that the world would see the vice president of the United States fleeing the United States Capitol,' his counselor to the vice president Greg Jacob testified to committee members in 2022.
Since leaving office, Pence has been in the political wilderness.
He tried running against Trump for the 2024 nomination but only stayed in the race from June through October of 2023.
Trump - the far-and-away frontrunner - wouldn't even participate in the GOP primary debates - so the two men never met onstage.
Trump replaced Pence with Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance on the 2024 ticket.
Melania Trump appeared to make a move toward Karen Pence to acknowledge her and the former second lady refused
Pence refused to endorse Trump but he wouldn't endorse Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, either.
Instead his political action committee financed advertisements ahead of the 2024 election pushing Americans to vote for Republicans on issues.
On Monday, the fourth anniversary of January 6, Pence commended Harris for chairing the joint session to certify Trump's victory.
He said it was 'particularly admirable that Vice President Harris would preside over the certification of a presidential election that she lost.'
Pence also sent well wishes to Trump.
'I welcome the return of order and civility to these historic proceedings and offer my most sincere congratulations and prayers to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance on their election to lead this great Nation,' he said.
