Former Vice President Mike Pence turned heads earlier this week when he responded to a question about a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Pence said he has no plans to make another run for the White House in 2028 and is not currently considering a campaign for any other elected office.
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Pence addressed his political future during an event hosted by the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., where chairman David Rubenstein asked whether he was interested in seeking the presidency again.
“What I can tell you is that we have no plans,” Pence replied.
He said his focus is now on his family and his work through Advancing American Freedom, the conservative policy organization he founded after leaving office.
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Pence said he intends to spend his time advocating for the conservative principles he has emphasized throughout his career, including limited government, lower taxes, reduced regulation, traditional values, and opposition to abortion.
“The calling of my life right now is to be a champion for these principles,” Pence said, adding that he plans to continue promoting those ideas for as long as he remains active in public life.
The announcement makes Pence’s immediate intentions clearer as Republicans increasingly begin looking toward the 2028 presidential contest.
Pence previously sought the Republican presidential nomination during the 2024 election cycle, launching a campaign against his former running mate, Trump.
The effort struggled to gain traction, and Pence suspended his campaign in October 2023 before the first Republican primary contests began.
He later declined to endorse Trump during the 2024 campaign.
Trump went on to win the Republican nomination and the presidency.
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Pence served as Trump’s vice president from 2017 to 2021 after previously serving as governor of Indiana and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
His relationship with Trump deteriorated sharply following the 2020 presidential election.
Trump urged Pence, in his role presiding over the Jan. 6 congressional certification of electoral votes, to reject or delay certification of Joe Biden’s victory. Pence concluded that the Constitution did not give him that authority and proceeded with the certification process.
Speaking Wednesday, Pence again defended his decision.
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“It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” Pence said. “By God’s grace I did my duty that day.”
Since leaving office, Pence has remained active in Republican policy debates and has frequently criticized elements of the party’s shift toward populism.
🚨Just in: Former Vice President Mike Pence has announced that he has no plans to run for President in 2028 pic.twitter.com/qnC8T9jA2l
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 17, 2026
Through Advancing American Freedom and his public appearances, Pence has continued promoting a more traditional conservative platform centered on free markets, limited government, a strong U.S. role abroad and socially conservative policies.
Earlier this year, Pence said Republicans should concentrate on defining the principles they want the party to represent before focusing on which candidate should lead the GOP in 2028.
His latest comments suggest that, at least for now, Pence does not expect to be among those candidates.
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Pence stopped short of making an absolute declaration that he would never again seek office, instead saying simply that he has “no plans” to run in 2028.
For the foreseeable future, he said, his attention will remain on policy advocacy rather than another campaign.
Earlier this year, Pence again broke with Trump, saying those who assaulted police officers during the Jan. 6 riot should never receive taxpayer compensation under the administration’s then-newly announced IRS settlement fund.
Speaking with Axios while discussing his upcoming book, What Conservatives Believe, Pence called Jan. 6 a “tragic day” and made clear he still strongly opposes rewarding violent participants.
“I didn’t agree with the President when he pardoned people who engaged in violence against law enforcement officials,” Pence said.
“And it would be my hope that anyone who engaged in violence against law enforcement or at the Capitol building would never be rewarded with taxpayers’ money.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
