4 highlights from Trump's interview with Tucker Carlson

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, August 24, 2023

Former Vice President Mike Pence is seen on a screen during a hearing by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 09, 2022, in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol for almost a year, will present its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden. | Getty Images/Drew Angerer

Trump says changes to federal law after Jan. 6 vindicate his position on electoral votes

Carlson asked Trump, "Whatever happened to Mike Pence?"

Pence, who served as vice president during the Trump administration, had a falling out with his former boss after he refused to comply with his requests to reject electoral votes from states facing voter fraud allegations as he conducted the ceremonial role of overseeing the certification of the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.

"In my opinion, Mike Pence had the absolute right to send the votes back to the legislatures," Trump maintained. "The Democrats and everybody said, 'You don't have the right.'"

After lamenting that his former running mate declined to send electoral votes back to state legislatures as a result of "very bad advice," Trump discussed the passage of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022.

The measure was passed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2022.

The legislation clarifies that the vice president, who also serves as president of the U.S. Senate, has a "ministerial" duty when it comes to presiding over the joint session of Congress where electoral votes are certified.

"The President of the Senate shall have no power to solely determine, accept, reject, or otherwise adjudicate or resolve disputes over the proper certificate of ascertainment of appointment of electors, the validity of electors, or the votes of electors," the legislation states.

Trump believes the passage of the law proves that he was "right."

"The Vice President no longer has the power to do what I said he could do," he said.