Donald Trump's Final Insult to Mike Pence Over Capitol Hill Riots Revealed in Former Deputy Prez's Secret Handwritten Notes
Donald Trump called his former deputy Mike Pence a 'wimp' before the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill.
Oct. 27 2025, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Donald Trump told his former deputy Mike Pence he would be forever remembered as a "wimp" in their final phone call before the infamous January 6th riots on Capitol Hill.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the claim was made in one of several handwritten letters by Pence, 66, which feature in Jonathan Karl's upcoming book Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America, which exposes the inner fighting and petty feuds inside Trump's cabinet.
'You'll Go Down As A Wimp'
Trump's insult was revealed on handwritten notes by Pence in new book.
In the book, Karl published Pence's handwritten notes from that day in 2021, which include the details of a call the two shared just an hour before Trump spoke at the infamous Save America rally ahead of the riot.
The never-before-seen notes showed how Trump, 79, tried one more time to convince Pence not to certify the 2020 Presidential Election in favor of Joe Biden.
When Pence rebuffed his boss, Trump made the infamous statement, which he wrote down.
"You'll go down as a wimp," the president allegedly said. "If you do that, I made a big mistake five years ago."
Details of the Notes Exposed
Trump was desperate for Pence not to certify the 2020 Presidential Election in favor of Joe Biden.
Following the call, Trump spoke at the rally, and two hours and 15 minutes after his speech, supporters had begun to storm the Capitol.
"I know that everyone over here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections," Trump told his followers.
The business mogul expressed aggravation with Pence's advisors, which the vice president represents with a drawing of an angry-faced emoji, the notes claim.
"You listen to the wrong people. You're not protecting our country, you're supposed to support + defend our country," said Trump, according to Pence's dictation.
According to Pence's notes, he told Trump: "I said we both (took) an oath to support + defend the Constitution. It doesn't take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law."
Pence had previously detailed this call in his memoir, So Help Me God, in which he details it as taking place at around 11 am, when Trump was slated to speak.
Pence's Missed Opportunity to Be 'Historic'?
Pence said to Trump: 'It doesn't take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law.'
The House January 6 committee also released testimony in 2022 of a White House official saying that Trump called Pence a "wimp."
Trump denied ever saying that at a gathering of religious conservatives in Nashville around the time the story broke.
"I never called him a wimp. Mike Pence had a chance to be great. He had a chance to be frankly historic.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Trump admitted he 'liked' Pence, but slammed him for not having 'courage to act.'
"But just like Bill Barr and the rest of these weak people, Mike – and I say it sadly because I liked them – but Mike did not have the courage to act."
Trump added: "Mike was afraid of whatever he was afraid of. But as you heard a year and a half ago, Mike Pence had absolutely no choice but to be a human conveyor belt, even if the votes were fraudulent.
"They said he had to send the votes; couldn't do anything."
