Donald Trump had a characteristically cold reaction to calls for his Vice President to be murdered during the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.
During the insurrection attempt, Trump supporters erected a gallows and chants of "Hang Mike Pence!" were broadcast around the world. Pence was inside the Capitol at the time, in the process of certifying the results of the 2020 US presidential election.
Donald Trump comments on "Hang Mike Pence" chants
For the first time, we now know how Donald Trump felt about the chants from his supporters.
Journalist Jonathan Karl interviewed the ex-president for his new book. Trump told him he apparently believed Pence was safe during the riot, and he defended the actions of the violent mob. Here's how the conversation went.
Karl asked Trump if he was concerned about Pence's safety during the "siege," to which Trump responded: "No, I thought he was well-protected, and I had heard that he was in good shape."
Karl added: "Because you heard those chants, that was terrible." Trump answered: "Well, the people were very angry." Karl interjected: "They were saying, 'Hang Mike Pence.'"
Trump then said: "It's common sense that you're supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?"
Karl called it a "genuinely shocking interview" and said more will be revealed on the Nov. 14 episode of This Week on ABC.
Pence, along with dozens of other politicians inside the Capitol during the riot, narrowly escaped the wrath of the insurrectionist mob. They later returned to finish certifying the election results into the early hours of Jan. 7.
No evidence of electoral fraud has ever been found despite Trump's repeated claims, which he's now apparently using to defend supporters who were intent on murdering Mike Pence on Jan. 6.
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