A new book claims that Donald Trump called Mike Pence a 'wimp' during their final phone call on January 6, 2021, just hours before the Capitol riot. The interaction was documented in handwritten notes by Pence, which are published for the first time in Jonathan Karl's upcoming book Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America.
According to the notes, Trump pressured Pence to block Joe Biden's certification as the 2020 election winner. When Pence refused, Trump reportedly said he would 'go down as a wimp.' Pence reminded Trump of their oath to the Constitution, saying, 'It doesn't take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law.'
The notes also include a sketch of an angry face next to a comment that Trump told Pence he listens 'to the wrong people.' Witnesses on Trump's end of the call testified to the House Select Committee that the conversation became heated, with Ivanka Trump noting her father used a 'different tone.'
Special Counsel Jack Smith had reportedly planned to use the notes as evidence in Trump's Capitol riot case. However, the Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling on presidential immunity undermined that effort. Smith resigned in January, stating that but for Trump's re-election, the evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction.
