Former Vice President Mike Pence has said that he has spoken with Trump on a number of occasions since they left the White House in January.
Speaking to the conservative podcast Ruthless on Thursday, Pence said of his communication with Trump: 'We've spoken probably a dozen times since the inauguration' of President Joe Biden.
He also referred to the events of January 6 insurrection, that saw thousands of Trump's supporters storm the U.S. Capitol building, as 'difficult' and a 'dark' day.
Pence insisted that 'We moved past it. We finished the work,' emphasising that his focus in now 'entirely' on the future.
His appearance on the podcast came as Pence was promoting his conservative group Advancing American Freedom, which says it advocates 'for Conservative values and policy proposals'.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has said that he has spoken with Donald Trump on a number of occasions since leaving office in January. Pictured: Trump (left) and Pence (right) together during the 2016 election campaign in Ohio
'I believe that future is bright because I think what we've got to do is tell the story of what we did the last four years, Smug, and not be smug about it,' Pence joked to the podcast's co-host Comfortably Smug.
'We also have to articulate a positive conservative agenda that will draw the American people to us, that would show how we would govern differently and based that on how we did govern differently during our administration and facing the challenges going forward.'
In January, Pence was publicly scolded by Trump when he certified President Biden's election victory in the face of false claims of electoral fraud from Trump and his supporters.
Trump has continued to challenge the results of the 2020 election despite his numerous failures to have them overturned.
Despite this, the 45th president's former VP spoke highly of Trump on the podcast while reflecting on his fond memories of their time in the White House, sharing anecdote about a phone call he received from Trump when landing at LaGuardia Airport during the 2016 election.
'By the time everybody was secured, everybody was off, I got into the car and I started to head downtown and I got a phone call immediately as soon as I got into car. And I answered the phone and he said, 'Hey Mike! This is Donald. You guys okay? Everybody okay?'
Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a Joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on January 6, 2020
'And I said, 'Yeah. No, we're fine. It was just a little bumpy ride at the end, but we're good.' And he said- he said, 'Oh, that's great. Because it'd be a real hassle to get a new running mate,'' Pence said, receiving laughs from the Ruthless co-hosts.
'And I said, 'Well, thank you for your concern. I appreciate that very much.' That was a moment of his sense of humor that I got quite used to over the years.'
On his political future, Pence said he is not a 'long-term planner' and suggested that he would have to find a 'calling' for him to run to office, rather than actively 'seeking' one out.
When pressed on whether he would be Trump's running mate should he run for a second term in 2024, Pence said 'wherever my wife and I feel called, we'll go.'
"I can honestly tell you at age 62, the last 20 years of our lives have been a privilege. And so whatever the future holds, we'll just take it to prayer, we'll examine our hearts, but I love this country,' Pence added.
'This is the greatest nation on Earth and I think it has fallen to us as conservatives and Republicans to defend and advance the freedom that's made this the greatest nation the world has ever known.'
During the podcast, Pence referred to the events of January 6 insurrection, that saw thousands of Trump's supporters storm the U.S. Capitol building, as 'difficult' and a 'dark' day
Despite drawing criticism from Trump and his supporters, Pence has previously spoken of how he is 'proud' of his actions on January 6, and his decision to approve the certification of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. president.
Pence was in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 when pro-Trump rioters launched a deadly assault on the building in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to stop Congress from formally accepting Biden's victory over Trump in the November presidential election.
"I will always be proud that we did our part on that tragic day to reconvene the Congress and fulfilled our duty under the Constitution and the laws of the United States," Pence said earlier this year.
Some of the rioters on Jan. 6 chanted threats including 'hang Mike Pence,' who had refused Trump's request that he block certification of Biden's win, an authority the vice president did not have.
Pence, who went into hiding amid the melee, later attended Biden's inauguration. Trump did not attend the ceremony and has lashed out at Pence, saying that he lacked courage.
The violence left five people dead. Over 500 people have now been arrested on charges of joining the assault.
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