Former VP Mike Pence, on Long Island, talks Trump, future of GOP 

Despite having voted for Democrats when he was younger, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told a Long Island audience on Tuesday he could "never support" Kamala Harris and Tim Walz but declined to say whether he would be casting a ballot for the president he once served, Donald Trump.

Pence, 65, in an hourlong appearance one week before Election Day, spoke about his Christian faith, civility in politics and parting ways with Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"To be honest with you, I always thought he would come around to see that he had been misinformed about my authority and duty that day," Pence, who presided over the Senate the day of the attacks and defied pressure from Trump to send the election results back to the states, said of Trump and the rift between them. "But that was not to be and, as time went on, he returned to much of the rhetoric that preceded that day and so we'd gone our separate ways."

The former vice president, known for his conservative social views, sat for a wide-ranging interview with Long Island Association President Matt Cohen before a politically diverse audience of about 700 at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. 

Newsday was among the sponsors of the business group's annual event, which in past years has featured former Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Al Gore, as well as sports figures including Peyton Manning.

"He ran with President Trump and against President Trump in the primary. He ran against Vice President Kamala Harris and debated her as vice president, so he has a unique insight and I think what he thinks matters," Cohen told Newsday.

Pence drew laughs from the audience as well as a standing ovation after a clip of his speech before Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 was played on two projection screens inside the ballroom. He mixed witty one-liners with quotes from the Bible, often promoting his 2022 book, "So Help Me God," with self-deprecating humor. 

State and Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs, who was in the audience, said he appreciated Pence for "standing up for the Constitution and democracy on Jan. 6." 

"I don’t agree with much else that he spoke about other than his strongly held views that we need to bring civility back into our political discourse," Jacobs said. 

Pence praised former President Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Walter Mondale as he recalled casting votes for Democratic candidates as a young person. Pence was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 at 41 years old, representing east-central Indiana as a Republican and reelected six times before becoming the state's 50th governor. 

"I haven't endorsed our ticket," Pence said, referring to Trump and JD Vance on the ballot. "I have real concerns about the direction of the Republican Party today." 

Former Republican Rep. Peter King, who served with Pence in Congress, attended the event because the two are friends. He said he believed there "should be room in the Republican Party" for both Pence and Trump.

Pence said he would continue to be a "voice for American leadership on the world stage" and warned "we are living in a very dangerous time" with highly partisan messaging dividing the country.

He said he was proud of the Trump-Pence administration that began in 2017, touting a strengthened military, economic development and the confirmation of conservative Supreme Court justices.    

But after the event, when Newsday asked if he would be voting for Trump, Pence said: "I said all I'm going to say today."

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.