Ivanka Trump Said Mike Pence is a 'Good Man' After He Rejected Donald Trump's Call to Overturn the Election

Following Mike Pence's announcement that he will not be seeking to reverse the 2020 presidential election in support of the former president Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump had one comment for him. Ivanka, a top White House official then, turned to retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg and remarked, "Mike Pence is a good man." This came after a phone discussion between Pence and her father, during which the then-vice president rejected Trump's efforts to have Pence reject Electoral College votes.

As reported by the Associated Press, the conversation occurred on January 6, 2021, only hours before President Trump addressed a "Stop the Steal" protest close to the White House. During his speech, Trump urged Pence to "do the right thing" by refusing to certify the election results. As per the outlet, Trump told Pence, "You don’t have the courage to make a hard decision." Pence issued a long statement afterward outlining his determination that he could not affect the decision, even after Trump referred to him as a "wimp." He continued to reject the demand.

An extract from the book I Alone Can Fix It was released by The Washington Post in July 2021. Reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker described the anxious times in the White House before the fatal Capitol brawl. According to the Post, when Trump was practicing his rally speech denouncing the election results, some individuals in his inner circle "encouraged his fantasy of Pence the hero stepping in to overturn the election." Ivanka Trump allegedly became irritated with the counsel her father was receiving and yelled out, "This is not right. It’s not right." The book states that Pence had sought to clarify on many occasions that he lacked the constitutional power to stop the certification of election results, in opposition to the president's requests.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the world spun. The U.S. Capitol was scheduled to host a joint session of Congress that was to confirm Joe Biden's victory in the electoral vote. At the same time, hundreds of Trump fans flocked to the area around the White House for his midday speech. Capitol Hill was a hotbed of tension. Outside, politicians were surrounded by protesters. Congressmen and their staff were forced into shelter in offices and bunkers while protestors attacked the Capitol police force and looted the building, damaging property. More than a hundred police officers were hurt, and a demonstrator who had been shot by officers died in the mayhem. During a rally on the Ellipse, which is located one mile from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., held at noon on January 6, Trump said that there had been election fraud and urged Vice President Pence to declare certain electoral votes uncertified in order to reverse the 2020 election results. Trump warned his followers, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol" and warned that "you're not going to have a country anymore" if they didn't fight fiercely.