All we can do is watch what happens right afterwards. Trump didn't condemn the protesters until about two days later, after Pence put Pelosi on hold for 25 minutes before he would give her an answer about the 25th Amendment. If Pence thought it was a ridiculous notion, he'd have gotten on the phone right away. By making her wait, he was giving a signal that there's wiggle room.
All we can do is watch what happens right afterwards. Trump didn't condemn the protesters until about two days later, after Pence put Pelosi on hold for 25 minutes before he would give her an answer about the 25th Amendment. If Pence thought it was a ridiculous notion, he'd have gotten on the phone right away. By making her wait, he was giving a signal that there's wiggle room.