Donald J. Trump, whose single-term presidency highlights include being permanently suspended from Twitter, doesn't seem to give a shit about Mike Pence. This has been evident from day one of the Trump era, which reached a violent (though not exactly shocking) peak earlier this month when a gang of MAGA cult members stormed the Capitol.
In the moments before heading to the Capitol last week to oversee the electoral vote count, Trump—who has remained steeped in self-perpetuated lies about the election—reportedly chastised Pence for declining to participate in futile attempts at overturning the results.
"You can either go down in history as a patriot," Trump told Pence, per a New York Timesreport, "or you can go down in history as a pussy."
Not long after these reported remarks, Pence was caught up in MAGA supporters' attack on the Capitol. While sheltering in place in the basement, per the Times, Pence received zero calls from Trump regarding whether or not he was safe amid the violent (and ultimately fatal) chaos. Instead, Trump fanned the flames even more by criticizing Pence—who was already a target for delusional Trump fanatics—on Twitter.
Despite this, and despite Trump being responsible for a horde of supporters who often call for direct acts of violence against him, Pence met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this week for a conversation described in the NYT's extensive report as both "nonsubstantive" and "stilted." Furthermore, Pence has refused to pursue 25th Amendment proceedings against Trump.
Pence, unlike Trump, is expected to be in attendance for Joe Biden's inauguration next week.
