Donald Trump Confined and Refused to Meet Mike Pence
US President Donald Trump is reportedly locked in the White House and refuses to meet Mike Pence, or any other official who opposes him, according to four sources with knowledge of the situation.
Some longtime advisers avoided talking to Trump after he encouraged hundreds of supporters to storm the US Capitol. Fellow Republicans have called the incident a deep stain on Trump's presidential legacy.
Wednesday's US Capitol riots, an unprecedented incident, have forced Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress to evacuate just as they convene to certify Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory. Four people died in the chaos, including a woman who was shot by police in the chest.
"No way," said a Trump adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, when asked if there had been any recent contact with the president.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Pence, publicly and privately, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from authorizing Biden's victory.
Trump was angry with Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, for suggesting that Pence would do his constitutional duties, the sources said.
This week Trump chided Mike Pence in his face, said one source. The vice president's office declined to comment.
But Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma told the Tulsa World newspaper he spoke with Pence on Wednesday evening.
"I've known Mike Pence for a long time. I've never seen Pence this angry," Inhofe said Wednesday, after the riots had subsided and the trial resumed.
A former senior government official said the rift between the president and his deputy was deep, and they may never speak to each other again.
Pence, a former Indiana governor and former Republican member of parliament with presidential ambitions, has been loyal to Trump during his four-year presidency.
"Everyone around him is very proud of him for how he is doing his constitutional duties, and that he has informed Trump beforehand what he plans to do," said a Pence adviser.
"Mike Pence didn't surprise the president and he was honest about what he was going to do," said adviser Mike Pence, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
