...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...and his ex-wingman Mike Pence, who went from White House partners to bitter rivals, held dueling rallies on Friday in Arizona, where an upcoming Republican primary election offers an early test of their potential 2024 showdown.
The convergence of campaign events came a day after a congressional hearing on the US Capitol assault, in which a White House security official said members of Pence’s Secret Service detail feared they would die as rioters stormed the building.
Trump, who like Pence is considering running for president in 2024, has savaged his former vice president for what he describes as a failure to block the certification of the 2020 election results and send the process back to the US states.
Such a plan had been cooked up by Trump aides who supported his discredited theory that the election was stolen, but Pence ultimately decided that the action would be illegal.
During the January 6, 2021 insurrection, Trump tweeted an attack on Pence, saying he "didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country." Administration officials testified at Thursday’s hearing that the social media post poured fuel on the fire and turned rioters against the vice president.