--- description: Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary has denied a report saying Pence offered to replace Donald Trump as the Republican nominee. title: Official Denies Mike Pence Offered to Replace Trump As the Republican Nominee image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta140a24e292b3951/6988d9440a4a2279cd9cf6d6/trump-pence-opioid.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Official Denies Mike Pence Offered to Replace Trump As the Republican Nominee by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2017 4:41 PM CUT  President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, speaks to reporters at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on August 10, 2017. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, speaks to reporters at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on August 10, 2017.Evan Vucci—AP by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2017 4:41 PM CUT Vice President [Mike Pence](http://time.com/5003805/donald-trump-mike-pence-official-portraits/ "undefined")‘s press secretary is denying a report saying Pence offered to replace [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/5048929/most-retweeted-tweets-2017/ "undefined") as the Republican presidential candidate after the publishing of the infamous [_Access Hollywood_ tape.](http://time.com/5038934/donald-trump-access-hollywood-authentic-tape/ "undefined") “Regarding _The Atlantic’s_ tired, false claim about the VP during the campaign — we denied this in the article and deny it again today. Didn’t happen,” Pence press secretary Alyssa Farah wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. Earlier Tuesday, _The_ _Atlantic_ published a [profile of Pence](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/gods-plan-for-mike-pence/546569/ "undefined") outlining the vice president’s political rise and embrace of religion. The magazine reports that in October 2016, Trump aides were concerned that Pence was considering “going rogue” after The Washington _Post_ published a 2005 tape in which Trump boasted about his ability to “grab women by the pussy” because he’s “a star.” > [](https://twitter.com/VPPressSec/status/938047076365193216) “Within hours of _The Post_’s bombshell, Pence made it clear to the Republican National Committee that he was ready to take Trump’s place as the party’s nominee,” _The Atlantic_ reported. It goes on to say that GOP officials were considering running a ticket with Mike Pence in the lead and Condoleezza Rice as the new vice presidential nominee, and that then-RNC chairman and future White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told Trump to “either drop out immediately or lose in a historic landslide.” On Monday, Billy Bush — who Trump was speaking to in the _Access Hollywood_ tape — [called out Trump](http://time.com/5049126/billy-bush-stephen-colbert-donald-trump/ "undefined") during an appearance on _The Late Show with Stephen Colbert._ Weeks earlier, it was reported that Trump was privately questioning the authenticity of the recording. “That is your voice,” Bush said on _The Late Show_. “I was there, you were there, that’s your voice on the tape.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5049831/mike-pence-access-hollywood-tape/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5049831/mike-pence-access-hollywood-tape/"},"headline":"Official Denies Mike Pence Offered to Replace Trump As the Republican Nominee","datePublished":"2017-12-05T16:41:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:27:47.733Z","description":"\"We denied this in the article and deny it again today. 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