Has Mike Pence destroyed any hope of becoming president? Public split with Donald Trump could turn off voters
No other political figure in the US has found himself or herself on as shaky ground as Vice President Mike Pence in recent times. The No 2 of the outgoing administration has been at the receiving end both in his own administration as well in the Congress where the opposition has taken him on. While the 61-year-old drew ire of President Donald Trump and his allies for not objecting to the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden on January 6, when the world came crashing down at the Capitol Hill, he has also been pressured by the Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove Trump after the Capitol unrest.
After his standing up to Trump, who has deeply influenced the Republican Party over the last few years, Pence’s own political future looks murky. The former Indiana governor has been a loyalist to the current commander-in-chief and also served as a reliable link between the MAGA populists and conservatives, especially the evangelicals. Pence had hoped about riding these traits into the 2024 presidential primaries but with his relation with Trump reaching a breaking point over certifying Biden as the president-elect and the former’s insistence that he had no constitutional power to reject the electoral votes that went to Biden, observers feel that the veep might find himself without political clout in the days to come.
'Pence is a man without a constituency'
Washington Examiner quoted conservative strategist Chris Brown as saying about Pence: “I don’t believe Pence has a political future. For the wing of the GOP looking to turn the page on the Trump era, he will always be Trump’s vice president. For the pro-Trump wing of the party, he will always be viewed as the man who let Trump down. Whether it’s fair or not, I think Pence is a man without a constituency.”
Trump, who called Pence 'a coward' after the latter did not come forward to back his claim in the Congress by not objecting to the Electoral College (EC) votes favoring Biden, has reportedly not reached out to Pence since the Capitol chaos of January 6. Both the leaders felt betrayed by each other as Pence reportedly expressed disappointment over the treatment meted out by Trump and his supporters (some from the mob outside the Capitol were heard shouting “Hang Mike Pence!”). Oklahoma GOP Senator Jim Inhofe told Tulsa World that he had never seen Pence as angry on January 6. Pence reportedly told him that he did not receive a fair treatment despite standing by Trump’s side in the last four years.
Trump has been pressuring Pence to reject the electors which, according to him, were fraudulently elected. He said in a rally ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff elections of January 5 that he hoped the vice president came through for them. He called his deputy a “great guy” but also cautioned that if he did not do the job for him, then he wouldn’t like him as much.
But Pence openly defied Trump saying in a letter to the lawmakers that he did not have the constitutional power to meet the president’s wish. Pence's chief of staff Marc Short, said in a statement: “Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election. The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and the Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th.” Short was removed from the White House by Trump.
Pence still earned applause
However, though Pence has found himself isolated, all hopes are not lost for him. He huddled with congressional leaders across the political divide. He clearly condemned the attack on the Capitol and when the joint session certifying the EC results resumed, he said: “Let’s get back to work”. The objective approach by the VP despite the criticism he faced from the president earned him applause.
Pence is reportedly ready to attend Biden’s inauguration on January 20 and the president-elect welcomed him saying: “The vice president is welcome to come, would be happy to have him come and to move forward in the transition,” Biden said.
“Vice President Pence proved yet again the statesman that he is by standing for the Constitution and the rule of law,” Examiner quoted Republican strategist Jon Gilmore as saying. “And the demeanor he showed presiding over the counting of his own defeat is something every political leader could learn from. He’s an important conservative voice for the future.”
Other potential GOP presidential candidates for the 2024 election have also hinted at distancing themselves more from Trump than the No 2. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton was not in agreement with the effort to contest the EC results while former UN ambassador Nikki Haley recently told the Republican National Committee in Florida that history will not judge Trump kindly.
Yet, vice presidents who later went on to become presidents enjoyed an advantage that they derived from their close ties with popular commanders-in-chief. George H W Bush benefited from his close relationship with Ronald Reagan who he succeeded in 1989 to serve one term. Even Biden gained from the fact that he was the deputy to former president Barack Obama for eight years between 2009 and 2017. Can the Hoosier still make a comeback? Only time will tell.