Former Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed Monday that his presidential aspirations are behind him, using his book promotion to call on Republicans to recommit to core conservative values.Pence’s new book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience, urges that traditional conservative values are needed to address today’s issues. The former vice president explained that a candidate who campaigns on these issues will “carry the day,” citing Luke Combs’s lyrics to take his name out of the conversation.“I love what Luke Combs has in one of his new songs,” Pence said when asked about running in 2028. “It’s got a line that says, ‘I think I rode that rocket about as far as it can fly.’ We don’t see that in our future.”
Pence’s remarks came at the National Press Club dinner he headlined with over 80 guests in attendance. The former vice president joined CBS News’s Robert Costa for a question-and-answer session after the meal.
After leaving office in 2021, Pence briefly ran for president in 2024 against President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Outside of the unsuccessful presidential campaign, Pence has remained mostly out of the spotlight.
Costa questioned Pence on a variety of issues outside of his presidential aspirations, including artificial intelligence, Iran, and messaging for the midterm elections.
