Former Vice President Mike Pence told ABC News that then-President Donald Trump was "reckless" on Jan. 6, 2021, and admitted he was "angered" by his then-boss' assertion he lacked courage by refusing to stop certification of the Electoral College results.
Pence, speaking during an exclusive interview at his Indiana home, discussed the infamous day protesters stormed the Capitol.
"The president's words were reckless and his actions were reckless," Pence told ABC News’ David Muir of Trump's behavior that day.
"It was clear he decided to be part of the problem."
Trump and allies blamed President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory on alleged voter fraud in several battleground states. The then-president claimed Pence, in his role as Senate president overseeing Electoral College results' certification, could have overturned the outcome by sending results back to the states.
Trump spoke at a Washington, D.C., rally before the attack, during which some demonstrators chanted "Hang Mike Pence" and erected gallows as they stormed the Capitol.
"The president's words that day at the rally endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building," Pence told ABC News in an interview scheduled to air Monday night.
Pence was asked about Trump’s first tweet concerning the chaos even as lawmakers were "barricaded inside the House Chamber."
Muir reminded Pence that Trump tweeted, "Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution."
Pence took a few seconds and said, "It angered me.
"But I turned to my daughter, who was standing nearby, and I said, 'It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law,'" Pence told Muir.
Pence was asked about Trump’s whereabouts during the Jan. 6 attack.
"I can’t account for what the president was doing that day," Pence said. "I was at a loading dock at the Capitol, where a riot was taking place."
Muir asked Pence why Trump was watching TV from the White House and not making urgent calls.
"That'd be a good question for him," Pence said.
Pence, 63, is considered a possible contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump, 76, is expected to kick off his campaign for the GOP nomination on Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago.
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