Politics

‘Go Down In History As A Patriot … Or As A Pussy’: Trump Allegedly Berated Pence Before Jan. 6 Election Certification

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Dylan Housman Deputy News Editor
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President Donald Trump allegedly berated Vice President Mike Pence over the phone before Pence went to oversee the certification of election results in the Capitol Jan. 6, according to a New York Times report. 

“You can either go down in history as a patriot or you can go down in history as a pussy,” Trump allegedly said, according to a report from the New York Times. Trump was reportedly furious that Pence refused to aid his efforts to overturn the election after a series of conversations in which the president pressured him to do so, the NYT reported, citing multiple individuals briefed on the conversation. 

Trump excoriated Pence at a rally outside the Capitol on the day that ended with rioters storming congress and delaying election certification. Rioters chanted “hang Mike Pence” as the vice president reportedly hunkered down in the basement of the building. (RELATED: REPORT: VP Mike Pence, Not President Trump, Approved Deployment Of National Guard To Stop Mob In DC)

The president didn’t speak to Pence for days after the riot, eventually inviting him to the Oval Office Monday night due to fears Pence would invoke the 25th amendment to remove him from office, the NYT reports. Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday evening saying he would not take such action. 

Pence announced ahead of time he would not try to overturn the results of the election on Jan. 6, something he did not have the power to do even if he desired. That led Trump to angrily tweet about the vice president as his supporters stormed the Capitol later that day. 

The chief of staff for Pence was reportedly barred from entering the White House after the results were certified. Republican Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe reportedly said he had never seen Pence “as angry as he was today” after the riot. Pence allegedly felt the president had turned his back on him after four years of loyalty, according to Inhofe.