Former Vice President Mike Pence is not ruling out a 2028 White House bid, telling Fox News Digital he has heard from supporters across the country urging him to run — even as he warns Republicans must abandon what he calls Trump-era departures from conservative principles after last week's midterm losses.
The interview, Pence's first since Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, was conducted by Fox News Digital reporter Paul Steinhauser and published Thursday. It comes just two months after Pence told the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., that he had "no plans" to run for president or any other office in 2028.
Asked whether the midterm defeats had changed his mind, Pence left the door open.
"We've been hearing from a lot of people around the country. I've been very humbled by that," Pence said.
He did not name a timeline, and Clash Report notes he declined to identify which donors, activists or friends had urged him to reconsider.
Pence's warning to the GOP was pointed. "If we don't return the Republican Party to the principles of a strong defense, limited government, fiscal responsibility and the right to life, it won't matter who we nominate in 2028," he said, according to Fox News Digital.
That statement landed hard. Per Clash Report, Pence also declined to endorse Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential 2028 standard-bearers — a notable refusal given that both are widely viewed as the leading heirs to President Trump's movement.
Democrats flipped the House and Senate last week, winning seats in states that backed President Trump in 2024, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. The scope of the Republican collapse has put enormous pressure on the party's leadership and opened a debate over what — or who — is to blame.
Pence says his political work will continue through Advancing American Freedom, the conservative advocacy group he founded after leaving office.
The former vice president's history with Trump is well documented. He refused to object to the certification of the 2020 election results, which fractured his relationship with the president and millions of voters. Pence launched a 2024 primary campaign explicitly against Trump that collapsed amid poor fundraising and polling; he dropped out before the Iowa caucuses. The Gateway Pundit reported at the time that he exited with more than $1.3 million in unpaid debts. He did not endorse Trump in 2024 and waited until after the victory to congratulate him.
Pence's post-midterm remarks immediately drew scorching criticism from the pro-Trump right. The Gateway Pundit's Jim Hoft called the former vice president a "turncoat" and argued that Pence's lecture on principles after the midterm results was rich coming from a man who refused to raise election integrity questions — a framing that reflects how bitterly Pence remains viewed by many in the MAGA base.
There is no word yet on whether Pence has taken any formal steps toward a campaign, such as forming an exploratory committee or reaching out to donors. It is also unknown whether President Trump, Vice President Vance or Secretary Rubio will respond to Pence's remarks.
Our Take
Here's the thing about Mike Pence: he's a decent man who took a principled stand on January 6, 2021, and got branded a traitor for it by people who once wore his name on their hats. That's not fair, and this outlet has never been shy about saying so. But being right about one day doesn't make him right about the party's future.
Pence's warning that Republicans must return to "principles" reads awfully conveniently from a man whose own 2024 campaign — a kamikaze run explicitly aimed at Trump — barely made it to the Iowa caucuses before running out of money. You can't lecture the GOP about winning when your last campaign left six figures in unpaid bills and you couldn't crack single digits in a primary you defined with your own name.
The deeper problem is that Pence's diagnosis is backwards. Blaming Trump voters — again — is how you build a think tank, not a coalition.
And refusing to endorse Vance or Rubio? That's not principle. That's pettiness dressed up as statesmanship, and every Republican who remembers the pain of 2020 and 2024 sees it for what it is.
So here's the question for Pence: if he runs in 2028, is it to win over the voters who rejected him twice — or to settle a score with the man who made him irrelevant? Because if it's the latter, he should save himself the $1.3 million in debt and stay home.
Patriots, what do you think? Should Pence run, or is it time for fresh blood? Tell us in the comments.
