trump pence together
President Donald Trump listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a White House press briefing in April 2020.
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  • President Donald Trump is furious at those in his circle he thinks are not supporting, Axios reported.
  • They include Vice President Mike Pence, the outlet said. Pence’s habit of not being around for Trump’s most damaging moments has been noted before.
  • Trump thinks that those who are not fighting in his corner are — in Axios’ words — “weak, stupid, or disloyal,” and “beneath contempt.”
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President Donald Trump is furious at Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials who are not joining his attempts not joining his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result, Axios reported Tuesday, citing multiple top officials.

According to the outlet, the president is “turning bitterly on virtually every person around him” who he believes is not supporting his futile attempts to win back the election.

Trump thinks that those who are not fighting in his corner are – in Axios’ words – “weak, stupid, or disloyal,” and “beneath contempt.”

In a meeting, Trump complained about Pence and brought up an ad by the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump Republican super PAC, which said that the vice president was “backing away” and “running away” from him, Axios reported.

On top of Pence, Trump is also unhappy with his chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, the outlet said.

Multiple top White House aides have been trying to distance from Trump and his fruitless election lawsuits for weeks, according to multiple reports.

According to Axios' Tuesday report, Trump has been asking his advisors if they can order state legislatures to rescind their electoral votes - and when he is told no, he gets angry again.

Read more: Jared Kushner helped create a Trump campaign shell company that secretly paid the president's family members and spent $617 million in reelection cash: source

Before the Electoral College met on December 14, Trump had considered asking Republican state lawmakers in battleground states to refuse to ratify the result of the popular vote and replace Electoral College voters with Trump loyalists who would switch their votes from Biden to Trump. It was a last-ditch plot that would have been improbable.

But now that the Electoral College has confirmed Biden as president-elect, Trump is now turning to his congressional allies to help overturn the result on January 6, when both chambers will meet to finalize and certify the vote count.

On January 6, Pence - in his role as vice president and Senate president - would also be expected to officially certify the selection of the president-elect and vice president-elect at that joint session.

Trump would consider this act from Pence - which is a constitutional formality - "the ultimate betrayal," Axios said.

Pence is often absent during Trump's most damaging moments. The vice president has made few public appearances since Election Day and has yet to take questions from reporters, according to CNN. Earlier this year, Pence was conspicuously absent as Trump was criticized for his response to Black Lives Matter protesters as well.

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