Pence: Trump's words 'endangered me and my family'

Nearly two years after the Jan. 6 attack, former Vice President Mike Pence said ex-President Donald Trump “endangered me and my family” as a mob of MAGA extremists invaded the Capitol.

“(Trump’s) words were reckless and his actions were reckless,” Pence told David Muir of ABC News in a new interview. “The president’s words that day ... endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building.

“It was clear he decided to be part of the problem,” Pence added.

The interview marks a dramatic shift in tone for Pence, who has mostly downplayed Trump’s responsibility for the deadly attack as the mob chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”

His remarks came a day before Trump is expected to announce the launch of his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday and less than a week after Trump-backed Republicans badly flopped in the midterm elections.

Pence conceded he was “angered” when Trump tweeted in the middle of the violent riot that his onetime loyal lieutenant “didn’t have the courage” to help overturn President Joe Biden’s election win

“It angered me,” he said. “I turned to my daughter, who was standing nearby, and I said, ‘It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law.’”

The former vice president is promoting the release of his memoir, “So Help Me God,” which includes a somewhat more candid assessment of Trump’s role in the attempted insurrection.

Up to now, Pence has avoided directly criticizing Trump. He refused to support impeachment, which would have barred Trump from running for office again, and declined pleas to testify publicly before the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6.

The book hits shelves on Tuesday, the same day that Trump plans to launch his comeback run for the White House. Pence has teased a potential presidential run, although he has not made any announcement.