US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence have spoken for the first time since last week’s deadly riots at the US Capitol, according to a senior administration official.
The two met on Monday evening local time in the Oval Office and had a “good conversation”, the official said.
It was their first time they spoke since last Wednesday when Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building as Mr Pence was presiding over the certification of November’s presidential election results.
Mr Pence and his family were forced into hiding.
During their conversation, the official said, Mr Trump and Mr Pence pledged to continue to work for “the remainder of their term” — an apparent sign the Vice-President would not seek to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr Trump from office with nine days left in his term.
The House is prepared to cast a vote on Tuesday calling on Mr Pence to invoke the amendment.
The reported conversation followed Mr Pence’s allies expressing outrage over what they have described as a malicious attempt by the President to try to scapegoat the Vice-President by pressuring him to take the impossible step of blocking the certification of the November election results by invoking powers he did not possess.
Mr Trump repeatedly singled out Mr Pence during his pre-riots rally, wrongly insisting the certification could be halted as it got underway.
Mr Trump continued to write on Twitter that Mr Pence “lacked courage” as the President’s supporters stormed the Capitol.
But Trump and Pence have apparently chosen to bury the hatchet.
The senior administration official said that, during their Oval Office meeting, Trump and Pence discussed the week ahead and reflected on their accomplishments over the past four years.
The two also “reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the ‘America first’ movement backed by 75 million Americans, and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term,” the official’s readout said.
The official did not mention whether the disagreements between the men had been discussed.
(www.newsnow.co.uk)