In a launch video released on Wednesday, June 7 ahead of his campaign kickoff later in the day in Iowa, Pence casts himself as a Reagan Republican seeking to return America to conservative principles.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President of the United States of America, Mike Pence has announced plans to run for presidency, which automatically pits him against his former boss, Donald Trump.

In a launch video released on Wednesday, June 7 ahead of his campaign kickoff later in the day in Iowa, Pence casts himself as a Reagan Republican seeking to return America to conservative principles.

“It would be easy to stay on the sidelines. But that’s not how I was raised,” he says in the video. “That’s why today, before God and my family, I’m announcing I’m running for president of the United States.”

Pence’s presidential bid places him in a unique position as he becomes the first vice president in modern history to challenge his former boss, who’s the current front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Previously loyal second-in-command to Trump, Pence broke with him by refusing to overturn the 2020 election results and presiding over Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021.

Pence argues in the video that “different times call for different leadership” and that the nation needs a leader “that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature.”

“We can bring this country back. We can defend our nation and secure our border. We could revive our economy, and put our nation back on a path to a balanced budget, defend our liberties and give America a new beginning for life,” Pence says.

Pence joins a growing field of Republican hopefuls, which so far has been dominated by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.