周五，在新罕布什尔州的见面会上，一名独立选民告诉前副总统迈克·彭斯，他担心自己在民意调查中的地位，以及彭斯没有更努力地与前总统唐纳德·特朗普对抗的事实领先业界共和党提名。
“我很乐意看到你成为美国总统。我只想给你一个诚实的评价。我不相信你会，直到有一天你站起来反抗那个人，”77岁的汤姆·拉夫林(Tom Loughlin)在新罕布什尔州兼职生活，他在提到特朗普时告诉彭斯。"也许你是个优秀的基督徒，永远不会那样做。"
“嗯，我不知道太好的一个基督徒。一些人认为两年半前我们做了相当多的挺身而出，”彭斯说，赢得了一些人的掌声。
“我加入竞选是因为有一个心照不宣的承诺，即我们将作为保守派执政，我们做到了，...但老实说，我认为他今天没有做出这样的承诺，”他继续说道，阐述了他们在外交政策、福利改革和联邦层面的堕胎监管方面的分歧。
“我没有兴趣和我的老朋友交换侮辱。我没有。有些人认为这是赢得总统职位的方法。我不知道。但是为美国人民做出选择。我们一直在做。我们将继续这样做，”他说。
新罕布什尔州是美国最小的州之一，人口约140万，众议院只有两名议员。但要在全国第一场初选中获胜，候选人通常需要愿意谈论国家关切的问题，比如彭斯在2021年1月6日国会大厦骚乱之前的历史性行动。
“让我感到不舒服的是，迈克·彭斯在1月6日站得如此之高、如此之强的时候，现在在共和党内，他在这个国家充其量只有4%的选票。对于这个国家的人民来说，这个人应该得到更好的待遇。“他必须谈论未来。他必须谈论那个人对我们国家有多危险。”
Loughlin是一名退休律师，住在佛罗里达州，但正在新罕布什尔州度过夏天，他告诉ABC新闻，他也不想谈论过去，“但未来是唐纳德·特朗普竞选美国总统，”他说。
虽然彭斯在竞选活动中并不总是提到1月6日，但在本周他在全国第一个初选州为期三天的摇摆中，新罕布什尔州的几名选民向他传递了同样的信息:“感谢你在1月6日所做的一切。”
民主党人南希·瑞安(Nancy Ryan)周四在布伦特伍德的古迪·科尔烟屋(Goody Cole's Smokehouse)参加了彭斯的烧烤午餐，打算请他签署一份支持全国乳腺癌联盟癌症政策平台的承诺——但她也告诉他，“感谢你在1月6日所做的一切。”
彭斯握着她的手，说:“上帝的恩典。”
同样，周五早上在柏林的一个小镇上，至少有两名女性感谢彭斯——不是在他回答问题的时候——而是在他与与会者拍照和一对一聊天的时候。
“感谢你在1月6日所做的一切，”一位名叫丽莎的女士说道。
他再一次回答说:“上帝的恩典。”
周三晚上在哈德森举行的见面会上，彭斯没有提到1月6日在前共和党州参议员鲍勃·克莱格(Bob Clegg)家中的几十名客人面前发表巡回演讲，但克莱格提到了。
“1月6日，迈克做了一件我认为是有史以来最勇敢的事。他有机会无视宪法，夺取不是副总统的权力，但他选择不这样做，”鲍勃·克莱格说。“现在我支持迈克，支持他是因为他是房间里的大人。我真的受不了更多的绰号和反反复复的戏谑。”
周四在梅雷迪思，15岁的奎因·米切尔(Quinn Mitchell)也提到了1月6日，她是全州政治市政厅的常客。
“鉴于已经发生的一切，特朗普的起诉特朗普在1月6日的行为，...你认为基督徒应该投票给唐纳德·特朗普吗?”米切尔说。
“嗯，你看，我正在竞选美国总统，因为我认为我应该成为下一任总统，”彭斯笑着说。“我绝不会凭借任何人的保守信念或信仰，去告诉他们我认为他们应该怎样生活。”
“选举是关于选择的。我想对你说，你亲切的评论让我受宠若惊。我真的相信民主依赖于大量的文明，”他补充道。“这是领导力的时刻。”
随着彭斯将自己定位为保守派、基督徒和里根时代的共和党人，这位前副总统正在努力取得参加辩论的资格。彭斯和他的竞选团队都不会说他离4万名捐款人还有多远需要为辩论造势。
竞选主席奇普·索特斯曼告诉ABC新闻，彭斯的阵营现在专注于像本周在新罕布什尔州举行的那种亲密活动。
“在电视上赚很多钱是件好事，但在爱荷华州，尤其是新罕布什尔州，他们希望看到你赚到钱。他们希望看到你在周四晚上走进一个炎热的房间，回答任何问题，与每一位选民交谈，谈论这些问题。“因为他们明天要去工作，他们周日要去教堂，和他们的朋友谈论迈克·彭斯。”
随着特朗普面临另一个可能的起诉1月6日左右，彭斯似乎比他活动中的一些选民更宽容。
“我不认为这是犯罪，”彭斯周四告诉记者，被问及特别顾问的调查。“我希望有可能对总统提出另一项指控，我希望不会到那一步。事实是，司法部已经失去了数千万美国人的信任。我宁愿看到关于那个决定性日子的问题留在美国人民手中。”
但金斯敦的注册共和党人卡罗尔·里拉姆(Carol Riehlam)也感谢彭斯在1月6日周三的见面会上的行动，她说她希望特朗普被起诉并被判有罪。
“这是一场暴动。我的意思是，当时特朗普的言论刺激了许多人。唯一能阻止人群的事情就是特朗普站起来说，‘下台，和平地回家’，但他不会这么做，”她说。"彭斯坚持自己的立场，做了符合宪法的正确事情。"
2023年7月6日，在爱荷华州的荷尔斯泰因，前副总统迈克·彭斯和他的妻子凯伦在竞选活动中与客人交谈。
斯科特·奥尔森/盖蒂图片社
亚历山大的希拉里·西格(Hillary Seeger)是一名空军退伍军人和土木工程师，过去曾支持特朗普，她也称赞彭斯支持权力的和平转移，但感叹这应该成为常态。
“他(彭斯)因为遵守宪法而成为英雄，这难道不疯狂吗?你可能会认为，对于任何当选的官员来说，这都是正常的，他们会按照宪法办事，”她说。“我在寻找一位将成为整个美国总统的总统，那里的人们不会贴上‘不是我的总统’的标签。”"
法宝收到一封信知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，特别顾问杰克·史密斯本周早些时候表示，他是他调查推翻2020年大选的目标。特朗普也在他的真实社交平台上的一篇帖子中证实了这一进展。
“这让我很困扰，”这位前总统周二晚上在爱荷华州锡达拉皮兹的市政厅对福克斯新闻频道的肖恩·哈尼蒂说。“我在星期天晚上收到了那封信。想想看，我想他们从来没有在周日晚上发过一封信。他们这么匆忙是因为他们想要干涉，这是对选举的干涉，在我们国家的历史上从来没有这样做过，我们国家正在发生的事情是一种耻辱。”
如果他被指控，这些指控将标志着特朗普卸任以来面临的第三项指控。特朗普是上个月被起诉在史密斯的检察官说他多次拒绝归还数百份包含从美国核机密到国家国防能力等机密信息的文件后，他受到了37项与处理机密材料有关的刑事指控。他对所有指控都不认罪。
前总统还不服罪曼哈顿地区检察官指控他伪造商业记录封口费付款是在2016年总统大选前几天送给成人电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯的。
Mike Pence 'not interested in trading insults' with Trump as he tries to win New Hampshire
An independent voter at a meet-and-greet in New Hampshire on Friday told former Vice President Mike Pence that he was concerned with his place in the polls -- and with the fact that Pence is not taking on former President Donald Trump harder as heleads the fieldfor the Republican nomination.
"I would love to see you be president of the United States. I'm just gonna give you an honest comment. I don't believe you ever will be until the day you stand up to that man," Tom Loughlin, a 77-year-old who lives part-time in New Hampshire, told Pence in reference to Trump. "Maybe you're too good a Christian to ever do that."
"Well, I don't know about too good a Christian. Some people think we did a fair amount of standing up two and a half years ago," Pence said, bringing some to applaud.
"I joined the ticket because there was a tacit commitment that we would govern as conservatives and we did, ... but honestly, I think he makes no such promise today," he continued, laying out their difference on foreign policy, entitlement reform, and abortion regulation at the federal level.
"I'm not interested in trading insults with my old friend. I'm not. And some people think that's the way to win the presidency. I don't. But laying out the choice for the American people. We've been doing it. We'll keep doing it," he said.
New Hampshire is one of the smallest states in the nation, with a population of roughly 1.4 million people and just two representatives in the House. But to win in the first-in-the-nation primary, candidates usually need to be willing to talk about national concerns, like Pence's historic actions on Jan. 6, 2021, ahead of the Capitol riot.
"It makes me ill that Mike Pence has 4% of the vote in this country at best right now in the Republican Party when he stood so tall and so strong on January 6. This man deserves better than that for the people of this country," Loughlin said. "He has to talk about the future. And he has to talk about how dangerous that man is for our country."
Loughlin, a retired attorney who lives in Florida but is spending the summer in New Hampshire, told ABC News he also doesn't want to talk about the past, "but the future is Donald Trump isrunning for president of the United States," he said.
While Pence does not always bring up Jan. 6 at campaign stops, several voters across New Hampshire delivered to him the same message during his three-day-swing in the first-in-the-nation primary state this week: "Thank you for what you did on Jan. 6."
Nancy Ryan, a Democrat, stopped by Pence's BBQ lunch at Goody Cole's Smokehouse in Brentwood on Thursday with the intention to ask him to sign a pledge to support the National Breast Cancer Coalition's cancer policy platform -- but she also told him, "Thank you for what you did on Jan. 6."
Pence shook her hand, and said, "By God's grace."
Again, on Friday morning a his town in Berlin, at least two women thanked Pence -- not while he was up taking questions -- but afterward when he was taking photos with attendees and chatting one on one.
"Thank you for what you did on Jan. 6," said a woman named Lisa.
He once again answered, "By God's grace."
At a meet-and-greet in Hudson on Wednesday night, Pence didn't mention Jan. 6 when he delivered his stump speech before a few dozen guests at the home of former Republican State Sen. Bob Clegg -- but Clegg did.
"Jan. 6th, Mike did something that I found to be the most courageous thing anybody's ever done. He was offered a chance to ignore the Constitution, take power that wasn't the vice president and he chose not to," Bob Clegg said. "Now I'm supporting Mike, supporting him because he's the adult in the room. I really can't take much more nicknames and the bantering back and forth."
And on Thursday in Meredith, 15-year-old Quinn Mitchell, a regular attendee at political town halls across the state, also brought up Jan. 6.
"Given everything that has happened, Trump's indictments Trump's actions on Jan. 6, ... do you think Christians should vote for Donald Trump?" Mitchell said.
"Well, look, I'm running for president in the United States because I think I should be the next president," Pence said with a smile. "I would never presume about anyone, either on their conservative convictions or on their faith, to tell people how I think they ought to live."
"Elections are about choices. And I want to say to you, I'm very humbled by your gracious comments. I really do believe that democracy depends on heavy doses of civility," he added. "It's a moment for leadership."
As Pence pitches himself as a conservative, a Christian and Reagan-era Republican, the former vice president is struggling to qualify to make the debate stage. Neither Pence nor his campaign will say how close he is to reaching the 40,000 donorsrequiredto make the debate stage.
Campaign chair Chip Saltsman told ABC News Pence's camp is focused now on intimate events like the ones held in New Hampshire this week.
"It's nice to have lots of money on TV, but in Iowa, New Hampshire especially, they want to see you earn it. They want to see you go in a hot room on a Thursday night, answer any question, talk to every voter, and talk about the issues," he said. "Because they're gonna go to work tomorrow, they're gonna go to church on Sunday, and talk to their friends about Mike Pence."
And as Trump faces anotherpotential indictmentaround Jan. 6, Pence seems to be more forgiving than some voters at his events.
"I'm not convinced it's criminal," Pence told reporters on Thursday, asked about the special counsel's investigation. "And I hope with the possibility of another indictment coming against the president, I hope it doesn't come to that. Truth is that the Department of Justice has lost credibility with tens of millions of Americans. I'd rather see questions about that fateful day left in the hands of the American people."
But Carol Riehlam of Kingston, a registered Republican who also thanked Pence for his action on Jan. 6 at Wednesday's meet-and-greet, said she hopes Trump is indicted and found guilty.
"It was an insurrection. I mean, there were crowds of people that were spurred on by president at the time Trump's rhetoric. The only thing that would stop that crowd would be for Trump to stand up and say, 'stand down, go home, peacefully,' but he wouldn't do that," she said. "Pence stood his ground and did the constitutionally right thing."
Hillary Seeger of Alexandria, an Air Force veteran and civil engineer who supported Trump in the past, also praised Pence for upholding a peaceful transfer of power but lamented that that should be the norm.
"Isn't it crazy that he's [Pence's] a hero because he obeyed the Constitution? You would think that that would just be the normal for any elected official that they go by the Constitution," she said. "I'm looking for a president who's going to be the president of the entire United States, where people aren't going to be hashtagging 'not my president.'"
Trumpreceived a letterfrom special counsel Jack Smith earlier this week saying that he is a target in his investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Trump also confirmed the development in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"It bothers me," the former president told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night at a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "I got the letter on Sunday night. Think of it, I don't think they've ever sent a letter on Sunday night. And they're in a rush because they want to interfere, it's election interference, never been done like this in the history of our country and it's a disgrace what's happening to our country."
If he is charged, those charges would mark the third indictment Trump has faced since leaving office. Trump wasindicted last monthon 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after Smith's prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation's defense capabilities. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The former president has alsopleaded not guiltyto a 34-count indictment from the Manhattan district attorney charging him with falsifying business records in connection with ahush money paymentmade to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.
