Mike Pence ups the ante in bid to be Donald Trump's main challenger for the White House

Eighteen months after they quit the White House, Donald Trump and Mike Pence were back in Washington DC this week.

But far from being a warm reunion, the former president and his deputy's separate events less than a mile apart laid bare the emerging rivalry between the pair as they both eye White House bids in 2024.

Their competing pitches for the future of the Republican Party also showcased the growing rift at the heart of the GOP as it seeks a return to power.

Mr Trump, 76, conjured an image of a country "going to hell" amid soaring crime and inflation as he addressed the Right-wing America First Policy Institute, while dwelling yet again on his disputed claims of a stolen 2020 election.

His former vice president, by contrast, urged Republicans "to offer a bold, positive agenda" to challenge "aggressive liberalism" in a speech to the Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference.

"Some people may choose to focus on the past, but elections are about the future," Mr Pence, 63, said, in a thinly veiled critique of Mr Trump.

It was a message he pledged to personally carry "all across" the country as he positions himself as the leading contender to lead the party into a post-Trump era.

Those in Mr Pence's orbit have made no bones about his presidential ambitions and he has ramped up public appearances recently.

If both he and Mr Trump decide to run, it would be only the second time in modern US history that a former vice president would run against his boss - the first was John Nance Garner's challenge to Franklin D Roosevelt in 1940.

"I think the wild card here is vice president Mike Pence," said Kellyanne Conway, the architect of Mr Trump's 2016 win, of the potential Republican contenders to challenge Mr Trump.

Mr Pence's America-first approach aligns closely with the Trump agenda, but the former vice president fits a more traditional political mould.

He earned his conservative credentials as a former radio host in Indiana, a springboard to a stint in Congress and later the state's governor.

A devout Christian, Mr Pence has framed himself as a principled conservative fond of repeating the mantra; "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order".

He has focused on substantive issues - taking a hawkish stance on Iran, China and Russia - and concentrated in particular on expanding abortion bans. He has also contrasted his mild-manner to Mr Trump's brash style as he courts evangelical voters.

But Mr Trump's allies have dismissed Mr Pence's chances of succeeding in a contest with his former boss.

They have argued that it was Mr Trump who salvaged Mr Pence's political career by rescuing the former Indiana governor from a tough re-election bid by selecting him as a running mate.

Opponents have also argued that Mr Pence lacks charisma on stage, pointing to his lacklustre performances against Kamala Harris during the 2020 campaign debates.

Polls suggest he still trails far behind Mr Trump and Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who has adopted a similar brand of populist politics.

But Mr Pence's profile has seen an unexpected boost from the televised congressional hearings into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Broadcast live to millions of Americans, they have shone a spotlight on how Mr Pence defied his former boss's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results despite a significant pressure campaign from Mr Trump and his allies.

Witnesses before the January 6 Committee revealed how the then-vice president refused to leave Congress as a pro-Trump mob stormed the building, some chanting "hang Mike Pence", despite the immediate danger to his life.

But the hearings have also posed a challenge for Mr Pence, as he hopes to win over Republican voters who share Mr Trump's belief in a stolen election.

"I think Pence is in a difficult position because he wants to appeal to Trump's base. And yet Trump's base is unhappy with him because of January 6," said Professor Joel Goldstein, an expert on the vice presidency from the University of Saint Louis law school. "That has made him in some circles sort of a pariah."

Mr Pence has attempted to walk a fine line, avoiding criticism of Mr Trump by no longer mentioning him personally, while taking credit for economic and immigration policies accomplished by what he now refers to as the "Trump-Pence administration".

Asked about his rift with Mr Trump after his speech this week, Mr Pence said: "I don’t know that the [former] president and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus."

While reluctant to take on Mr Trump personally, the former vice president has been willing to engage in proxy fights with the Republican leader by backing opposing candidates in several mid-term races.

This was most notable last weekend, when the pair held competing events in Arizona, another battleground state, to stump for rival Republican candidates in the governor's race.

In each proxy battle, Mr Pence has tended to support establishment Republican picks, while Mr Trump has enthusiastically endorsed those who parrot his election fraud claims.

Some Republicans believe Mr Pence can forge a route to securing the party's presidential nomination in 2024, arguing that the January 6 hearings have weakened Mr Trump's hold over the party.

One recent NYT/Siena College poll suggested large numbers of Republican voters could defect from the party if Mr Trump, who remains fixated with the 2020 election, launches a 2024 campaign.

However, the same surveys suggest Mr Trump continues to enjoy more support than any other potential Republican presidential candidate.

Some Republican insiders have argued that Mr Pence's carefully balanced approach could make him an ideal candidate for voters who liked Mr Trump's policies but are tired of the fixation with the last election.

Dan Eberhart, a major GOP donor who has previously backed Mr Trump, agreed that "the base and donors are tired of looking in the rearview mirror".

"They aren’t anti-Trump, but there’s a lot of 2020 fatigue out there," he told The Telegraph.

But while he said many were pleased that Mr Pence was getting "back into the ring", he said he faced an insurmountable dilemma.

"He’s too closely tied up in the Trump legacy to be considered a candidate who is a break with the past for the majority of the base. [And] Trump wouldn’t be able to resist going after the former VP," he said.

"It’s unfortunate because Mike is one of the most qualified and authentically conservative leaders in the party. But I don’t see him getting the nomination in 2024, regardless of whether Trump is in or not."