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| Donald Trump and Mike Pence / Photo by: Gage Skidmore via Flickr |
US Vice President Mike Pence vehemently denied all speculations that he will be vying for the presidential post in 2020.
According to a New York Times report, a good number of Republicans were moving to form a "shadow campaign" as though US President Donald Trump was not involved. The report further noted that Pence’s political advisors "have already intimated to party donors that he would plan to run if Mr. Trump did not."
Pence immediately denied the speculations, referring to the article as "fake news" and that the entire suggestion was “disgraceful and offensive.”
"The allegations in this article are categorically false and represent just the latest attempt by the media to divide this Administration," Pence said in a statement, as he reaffirmed that his entire team was focused on advancing Trump's administration.
However, the New York Times stood its ground on the veracity of its report.
"We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting and will let the story speak for itself," stressed New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha in an official statement.
Pence has been known as a passionate Trump loyalist, as evidenced by the striking similarities of his public statements and the policies espoused by the president.
But as investigations are being continually conducted about Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections, Pence has built some considerable distance between himself and the president in a manner to best approach the issue regarding Moscow. During his trip to Eastern Europe last week, Pence condemned Russia's presence in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He also said that ties with Russia would not improve until Moscow changed its position on Ukraine.
The US Congress recently passed a bill which seeks to impose new sanctions against Russia. Despite signing the bill into a law last week, Trump described the investigations on his alleged Russian ties as a "witch hunt."
White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway also dismissed the idea that Pence was preparing for a presidential election run in 2020.
"It is absolutely true that the vice president is getting ready for 2020 - for reelection as vice president. Vice President Pence is a very loyal, very dutiful, but also incredibly effective vice president,” Conway said in an interview.
