October 16, 2017
President Donald Trump reportedly has poked fun at his right-hand man for his socially conservative views.
October 16, 2017
President Donald Trump reportedly has poked fun at his right-hand man for his socially conservative views.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a campaign rally for gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie, R-VA, at the Washington County Fairgrounds on October 14, 2017 in Abingdon, Virginia. Virginia voters head to the polls on Nov. 7.: President Donald Trump reportedly has made light of some of Vice President Mike Pence's views.— (Sara D. Davis/Getty Images).
That's according to a New Yorker profile of Vice President Mike Pence published online and slated for the magazine's Oct. 23 issue. Pence reportedly declined requests from The New Yorker for interviews for the story, written by Jane Mayer and titled "The Danger of President Pence."
The piece touches on a range of issues, including the possibility of Trump's impeachment and Pence taking over the Oval Office. It notes that "Pence's odds of becoming President are long but not prohibitive. Of his forty-seven predecessors, nine eventually assumed the Presidency, because of a death or a resignation."
Here's a look at five Pence-related takeaways per The New Yorker piece:
1. Trump Critiques
Trump is said to have taken jabs at Pence in regard to both his political views and his religious beliefs. A Trump campaign staffer told The New Yorker that the president would ask people who had met with Pence, "Did Mike make you pray?"
The president also reportedly "belittled" Pence's views on abortion and opposition to Roe v. Wade during a meeting with a legal scholar, saying in regard to the Supreme Court hypothetically overturning the precedent: "You've wasted all this time and energy on it, and it's not going to end abortion anyway."
When that discussion pivoted to gay rights, Trump is said to have joked, "Don't ask that guy – he wants to hang them all!"
2. Who's the Boss?
One source told The New Yorker that Trump likes to "let Pence know who's boss." Former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, though, told the magazine the president "thinks Pence is great."
3. Political Misalignment
Trump and Pence do not always align politically. Trump campaigned as a political outsider, while White House counselor Kellyanne Conway reportedly described Pence as "a full-spectrum conservative" when it comes to social, moral, economic and defense issues. Bannon said Pence is Trump's connection to the most conservative portion of the GOP establishment.
4. Presidential Ambition
Harry McCawley, a retired editor at the vice president's hometown newspaper, told The New Yorker: "Mike Pence wanted to be President practically since he popped out of the womb." While the vice president carries a modest demeanor, McCawley said Pence is "very ambitious, even calculating, about the steps he'll take toward that goal." McCawley died of cancer in September, but knew the Pence family in part through the vice president's mother, Nancy Pence Fritsch, who wrote a column for the newspaper.
5. Presidential Positions
Bannon, who's no fan of the GOP establishment, told The New Yorker he's worried about what kind of president Pence would potentially be. He reportedly referenced Pence's ties to the Koch brothers, megadonors known for backing conservative and libertarian causes. "I'm concerned he'd be a President that the Kochs would own," Bannon said.
Courtesy/Source: US News & World Report
