“People ask me all the time: ‘How do you envision debating Donald Trump?’ And I tell them ‘I’ve debated Donald Trump 1,000 times, just never with the cameras on,’” Mr. Pence said.
“I'll be supporting the Republican nominee,” he said. “Especially if it’s me.”
Mr. Pence said he was proud of the close working relationship he had with the president for four years, with included many disagreements.
“Some of the candidates for president are criticizing the record of the Trump-Pence administration, I’m proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration, I'll defend it everywhere I go,” he said. “But it didn’t mean the president and I always agreed, I know how to have a good policy debate with the president.”
Qualifying
Not all candidates have committed to primary debates, but Mr. Pence said in the interview that he would.“The thing you’ve got to remember about these debates,” he said, “is you’re not talking to each other. You’re talking to the American people.”
“I wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to talk to the American people about our vision, our experience, our love for this country, for anything. So you better believe in I’m going to be in Milwaukee. We’ll be on that debate stage. And wherever two or more Republican candidates for president are gathered there, I will be also.”
“The great thing about this process is the American people have a chance to take a fresh look at all of the candidates.”
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has explained the criteria are in place to prevent a two-tiered campaign field like that seen in 2016.
FiveThirtyEight’s averages of national polls as of July 5 showed Mr. Trump leading by far at 52 percent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following at 23.3 percent, Mr. Pence coming in third at 6.5 percent, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both at 3.9 percent.
Will Trump Debate?
Mr. Trump has said he may not join the primary debates, especially given the RNC’s requirement that debate participants pledge to ultimately support the party nominee.“We’ve had a lot of offers, whether it’s a rally or whether it’s an interview by somebody else,” he said. “Not to be braggadocious but the debate will not be a very exciting one if I’m not there.”
Indeed, many of the GOP 2024 hopefuls have been vocal about their express interest in debating Mr. Trump in particular.
Mr. DeSantis has indicated he may participate and support the party nominee, saying candidates should “respect the outcome of the process.” On Wednesday, the Republican Party in his home state updated their rules to include a pledge consistent with the RNC pledge, requiring candidates to endorse the party nominee and not run as an independent or third party candidate.
Mr. Ramaswamy and Ms. Haley have also said they would sign the pledge and participate in debates.
Mr. Christie, who said he told the RNC the pledge was “a useless idea,” ultimately said voters would see him on stage the night of the debate, and likely Mr. Trump as well.