Mike Pence Denies ‘Laughable and Absurd’ Allegation of 2020 Run for President

VP calls New York Times’ claim of a shadow campaign “disgraceful and offensive”

Mike Pence
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Vice President Mike Pence is pushing back at a New York Times report that he’s quietly laying groundwork for a presidential run in 2020, calling the allegations “disgraceful and offensive.”

Sunday’s NY Times story “Republican Shadow Campaign for 2020 Takes Shape as Trump Doubt Grows” says that Pence “appears to be cementing his status as President Trump’s heir apparent, promoting himself as the conduit between Republican donors and the administration.”

It goes on to say that “Pence’s schedule is so full of political events that Republicans joke that he is acting more like a second-term vice president hoping to clear the field than a No. 2 sworn in a little over six months ago.”

But Sunday morning, Pence hit back, releasing a statement calling the NY Times article “disgraceful to me, my family, and our entire team. The allegations in this article are categorically false and represent just the latest attempt by the media to divide this Administrations.”

Pence praised President Trump for his leadership skills both domestically and internationally, adding, “Whatever fake news may come our way, my entire team will continue to focus all our efforts to advance the President’s agenda and see him elected in 2020. Any suggestion otherwise is both laughable and absurd.”

Read the vice president’s full statement below.

Mike Pence Statement

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