Why Pence's Refusal to Endorse Trump Matters (Seriously!)

A Vice President not endorsing his former boss should be a bigger deal

On Friday afternoon, Mike Pence announced during an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that he would not endorse Donald Trump for President. While this made minor waves in the press, it went unnoticed by the public. The people who did notice responded to the news the way folks often respond to everything Mike Pence does — with ridicule and derision. My first instinct was to head to Twitter, Threads, and my group chats to make jokes at Mike Pence’s expense.

Pence is a tragi-comic figure in American politics. No one has ever been impressed by him nor taken him seriously. He made it to Congress after a middling career as a homophobic conservative radio host who believed the Disney film Mulan was a threat to society. Pence stumbled ass-backward into the Vice Presidency. Trump selected him for two reasons — to appease the Evangelical community and because he was never a threat to upstage Trump.

Even after he was almost killed for doing the right thing on January 6th, he remained more a punchline than a serious political figure. Mike Pence is perhaps the only person in modern history where it is acceptable to joke about his attempted murder. When I first heard the news, I dismissed it out of hand. A piece of content worth nothing more than a few mostly unfunny jokes.

But after a day of reflection, I think I was wrong. I can’t believe I am writing this, but Donald Trump’s Vice President refusing to endorse him is a big deal, and overly cynical Democrats like myself shouldn't dismiss it outright.

Pence’s Decision is Extraordinary

On one hand, Mike Pence’s decision not to endorse Trump makes a lot of sense. Trump sent a violent mob to the Capitol and reportedly expressed support for that mob’s plan to hang Pence. Not endorsing people who try to kill you is understandable. However, in today’s Republican Party, endorsing the person who tried to kill you is the norm. Almost every single Republican who feared for their life while hiding in their offices from the Trump-inspired rioters has proudly endorsed Trump for President.

Pence has been moderately critical of Trump since he left the White House. But plenty of Republicans have criticized Trump and then bent the knee. After Trump called Ted Cruz’s wife ugly and accused his dad of killing John F. Kennedy, Cruz went to the Republican convention and encouraged the delegates to abandon Trump. Cruz endorsed Trump within a matter of weeks.