Former Vice President Mike Pence was listed on Monday as having filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for president in 2024.
However, that was apparently an elaborate prank, according to The Washington Times.
Devin O’Malley, an advisor and former spokesperson for Pence, almost immediately denied that Pence had decided to run for president or made any filings with the FEC in that respect.
“Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file to run for President today,” O’Malley declared in a tweet.
Originally, the Washington Times, Reuters, and Sky News had all reported that Pence had filed to run for president.
After Christian Datoc, a White House correspondent at the Washington Examiner, tweeted that Pence had filed to run for president, O’Malley quickly responded, “I think someone pranked you,” causing Datoc to promptly delete his original tweet.
One telling hint was that the paperwork filed with the FEC was under the name “Mike Richard Pence.” The former vice president’s full name is “Michael Richard Pence.”
Pence previously stated he was in the process of making a decision on a possible presidential run.
“I can tell you that my wife and I will take some time when our kids are home this Christmas — we’re going to give prayerful consideration about what role we might play,” Pence said on Face the Nation in November.
Earlier in December, Pence told Fox News that he was considering a presidential run.
“The fact that people are now getting to know me and my family, our faith, our conservative convictions better, has been a great source of encouragement as we think about the way forward and what our calling might be in the future,” Pence said.
Pence said that he will make a decision after January 1, 2023.
Former President Donald Trump has already announced that he will be running for president in 2024, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen as a likely challenger in the Republican primary.
