Former Vice President Mike Pence says the response to his new memoir has been “a great source of encouragement” as he considers getting into the ring for the White House against his onetime running mate, former President Trump. 

“You know, to be vice president is to be in the second position. I always believed that in that role it was important to take a half-step back and not be the story,” Pence said in an interview with Fox News to promote his memoir “So Help Me God.”   

“And so the fact that people are now getting to know me and my family, our faith, our conservative convictions better has been a great source of encouragement as we think about the way forward and what our calling might be in the future,” he added.  

Pence said the response to his newly released book has been “really inspiring” and “very encouraging” as he calculates his next steps.    

The former vice president hasn’t formally announced whether he’ll mount a White House bid, but he’s sidestepped whether he’d back Trump again and hinted that there may be “better choices” for the GOP’s presidential nominee, a sentiment he reiterated in the interview with Fox. 

“I truly do believe that the American people want to see us get back to the polices that we advanced in the Trump-Pence administration,” he said. 

But when asked whether his former boss can unite the country, Pence said, “I think that we’ll have better choices in 2024.” 

Trump announced his third bid for the White House just a week after Election Day last month.

He had said in October that it would be “very disloyal” if Pence decided to run against him.