Former President Donald Trump "handed down a death sentence to Mike Pence" in order to try to stay in power, said Mary Trump, the former president's niece, per MSNBC.

Speaking to MSNBC's Katie Phang on Friday, Trump said her uncle "wasn't just stirring up his insurrections to create chaos."

He also "handed down a death sentence" to former Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, 2021, she added, suggesting that it might have been part of a desperate attempt to cling on to power.

On the day of the Capitol riot, a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol chanting "Hang Mike Pence" and came as close as 40 feet from him, CBS News reported.