Pence arrives at White House as Democrats demand he oust Trump

Although reports suggest Cabinet secretaries had discussed invoking the power, a senior administration official told the Washington Examiner that there had been no moves to begin the process.

“As of this morning, that conversation hasn’t been brought to him by a Cabinet member,” said the official. “It is still a hypothetical.”

Pence, who received his second dose of coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, has been one of Trump’s most dependable allies during his four years in office. He was repeatedly pressed into service to smooth over ruffled feathers when the president offended conservative supporters.

This week he was propelled to the forefront of Trump’s effort to cling to power. The president repeatedly demanded he refuse to certify Electoral College votes that would otherwise confirm Democrat Joe Biden as the 46th president.

Instead, Pence said he had no constitutional authority to act unilaterally to reject the result, provoking Trump’s fury.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted in a post that was later removed.

The vice president worked from his residence on Thursday, amid reports that Trump was furious with members of his deputy’s team — particularly chief of staff Marc Short, for the advice he was offering Pence.

But a day later, Pence was spotted arriving at the White House just before 1 p.m., when he entered the West Wing.

Neither the White House nor the vice president’s office would comment on the reason for his visit.

Pence’s spokesman Devin O’Malley said: “He has got meetings and calls scheduled, and then we have a staff meeting later this afternoon.”