Former Vice President Mike Pence said that former President Trump "let me down" on Jan. 6 and that he had hoped that he "would come around" and recognize the violence of that day.
Driving the news: "I had actually hoped that he would come around in time, that he would see the cadre of legal advisers that he surrounded himself with led him astray, but he hasn't done so," Pence said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
- "I think it's one of the reasons why the country just wants a fresh start," Pence added.
- He said that he and Trump have gone "separate ways" since leaving the White House.
- Pence said that in the week after Jan. 6, he was "very direct" with Trump about his experience that day and they "parted amicably and respectfully."
- "But in the months that followed, [Trump] returned to that same rhetoric he was using before Jan. 6, rhetoric that continues much up to this day and that's why we've gone our separate ways," Pence said.
The big picture: Pence is still mulling a rare bid against a former running mate and he said in the ABC News interview that he is still deciding with his family whether he will seek the Republican nomination.
- He said he's undecided about whether he would ever support Trump for president again and said: "I think we'll have better choices."
- "We're going to decide as a family whether we offer ourself as one of them, but I think different times call for different leadership."
Go deeper ... Pence: "History will hold Donald Trump accountable" for Jan. 6
