Former US President Donald Trump claimed that his Vice President, Mike Pence, is "mortally wounded" inside the Republican Party, CNN reports.
Video posted to social media shows Trump, who was speaking at a closed press event with Bill O'Reilly over the weekend, telling a crowd that Pence "has been very badly hurt" by his commitment on January 6 to allow congressional certification of the 2020 election results.
"I was disappointed in one thing, but it was a big thing. Mike should have sent those crooked votes back to the legislatures and you would have had a different result in the election, in my opinion," Trump was quoted as having told an audience this part Saturday.
"I think Mike has been very badly hurt by what took place in respect to January 6," Trump added. "I think he's been mortally wounded, frankly, because I see the reaction he's getting from people."
The comments come as Pence weighs his future in politics and laying the groundwork for a possible presidential campaign in 2024.
The former vice president has fueled rumors about his interest in a 2024 presidential bid with several visits to Iowa and New Hampshire this year, noted CNN. As recently as last week, Pence traveled to the first-in-the-nation primary state to speak to a local Republican woman's group and greet GOP donors at a fundraiser for New Hampshire state senators. While appearing at an event hosted by the conservative group Heritage Action, Pence said he drew inspiration from scripture in deciding how to approach January 6.
"I like that Bible verse that says, 'He keeps his oath even when it hurts.' I'd taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and I kept my oath that day," Pence told the crowd.
Trump appeared to indicate on Saturday that he would not consider keeping Pence on his ticket if he were to run again.
"I don't love this question because there are a lot of them," Trump said of potential running mates, adding that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "would be good."
Trump has hinted several times in the last few months that he is considering running in the 2024 presidential election, but has yet to make a formal announcement.
Trump teased at 2024 run when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference this past February.
In that speech, Trump said of the Democrats, "Actually, as you know they just lost the White House...who knows, I may even decide to beat them for a third time."
In a recent radio interview Trump said that the only thing that could prevent him from running would be “a bad call from a doctor or something”.
A recently released poll found that former Trump would defeat President Joe Biden if a new presidential election were held today.
The poll, conducted by Emerson College Polling, showed Trump leading his successor by two points, 45% to 43%, in a hypothetical presidential rematch.