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Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.
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Charlotte Pence Bond (born Charlotte Rose Pence; June 25,...
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Gregory Joseph Pence (born November 14, 1956) is an American...
- Karen Pence
Karen Sue Pence (née Batten, formerly Whitaker; born January...
- Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, commonly...
- John R. Gregg
John Richard Gregg (born September 6, 1954) is an American...
- Luke Messer
Messer, like Pence, is an ardent conservative. During his...
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Marc T. Short (born March 3, 1970) is an American political...
- Columbus North High School
Greg Pence, U.S. Representative for Indiana's 6th...
- Columbus, Indiana
Columbus City Hall. Columbus (/ k ə ˈ l ʌ m b ə s /) is a...
- Charlotte Pence Bond
- Overview
- Early life and radio talk show
- House of Representatives
- Governor of Indiana
- Vice president
- Later activities and 2024 presidential run
Mike Pence (born June 7, 1959, Columbus, Indiana, U.S.) 48th vice president of the United States (2017–21) in the Republican administration of Pres. Donald Trump. In 2020 Trump and Pence were defeated by their Democratic opponents, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Pence had previously served as governor of Indiana (2013–17).
Pence was raised in an Irish Catholic family. His parents owned several gas stations. While studying history at Hanover College (B.A., 1981), he became a “born-again, evangelical Catholic.” It was at church that he met Karen Batten, and the couple married in 1985. After earning a law degree at Indiana University in 1986, he entered private practice...
Through his media experience, Pence became an effective orator and developed his conservative brand. In 2000 he again ran for the House of Representatives and this time was successful, taking office the following year. During his six terms in Congress, he became especially known for his social conservatism; he often stated that he was “a Christian,...
In 2012 Pence ran for governor of Indiana. His campaign focused on economic issues, notably job creation and tax cuts. After narrowly winning the election, he took office in 2013. Two years later he received national attention when he signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a state law that purported to protect individuals’ ability to ...
On July 15, 2016, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, named Pence as his running mate. It was thought that he would help Trump with conservative voters as well as provide political experience, which the presidential candidate lacked. In addition, he was a popular choice with the party’s establishment, which had become worried about Trump’s often controversial remarks as well as his failure to repudiate racist elements among his supporters. At the Republican National Convention the following week, both candidates received the party’s official nomination. A month before the election, the ticket faced a major scandal after a hot-mic video from 2005 surfaced in which Trump told an entertainment reporter in vulgar language that he had tried to seduce a married woman and bragged about grabbing women by the genitals. Pence stated that he was offended by the comments—later reports, denied by Pence, claimed that he tried to replace Trump as the presidential pick—but he remained Trump’s running mate. On November 8, 2016, the Trump-Pence ticket defeated Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine. Pence resigned as governor of Indiana shortly before being sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2017.
Once in office, Pence sought to advance Trump’s policies and staunchly defended him through a number of scandals. In 2019 he notably opposed the House’s impeachment proceedings against Trump, who allegedly had withheld aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the country into opening a corruption investigation into Joe Biden; in 2020 Biden became the Democratic presidential nominee. Though Trump was impeached by the House, he was acquitted in the Senate trial in February 2020. That month Pence became head of the government’s task force handling the coronavirus outbreak, which in March was designated a global pandemic. As the virus, COVID-19, spread in the United States, businesses and schools began to close, and the economy entered a downturn that rivaled the Great Depression. The government’s handling of the crisis drew sharp criticism as some people alleged a lack of leadership and claimed that both Trump and Pence made misleading or false statements that minimized the seriousness of the coronavirus.
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In October 2020, about a month before the general election, Trump tested positive for the virus. As the president underwent medical treatment, Pence assumed a greater role in the reelection campaign. In the November election Biden and Harris were declared the winners, though the Trump-Pence ticket challenged the results, alleging voter fraud. However, no evidence was presented to back these claims, and by early December all states had certified the results. Pence subsequently faced pressure from Trump to block Congress’s certification of the election, which was scheduled to take place on January 6, 2021. That day Pence released a letter in which he stated that he would not try to overturn the results, noting that he lacked the “unilateral authority” to throw out electors, a false claim that the president had repeatedly advanced. Shortly thereafter Congress began the certification process, but it was halted when Trump supporters, who had just attended a rally with the president, stormed the Capitol. Pence was taken to a secure location, and some of the attackers were heard saying that he should be hanged. The siege lasted for several hours, but Pence and Congress eventually reconvened, and Biden’s win was certified.
Many accused Trump of inciting the Capitol attack, and on January 12 the House of Representatives passed a resolution that called on Pence to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment. However, he had earlier rejected the suggestion, stating that it was not “in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution.” On January 20 Pence’s term as vice president ended. He later published the memoir So Help Me God (2022), which focuses on his time in the White House. Pence largely defended Trump and his presidency, often referring to him as “my friend.”
Pence remained active in politics. In 2021 he joined the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and he frequently spoke out on various matters. In 2022 the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (1973), which had established abortion as a constitutional right. Pence praised the decision, saying in a Twitter post that the 1973 ruling had “been consigned to the ash heap of history.” He subsequently called for a federal ban on abortions at 15 weeks of gestation.
During this time several investigations were launched into Trump’s actions concerning the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol attack. These included a Department of Justice inquiry that was led by special counsel Jack Smith. In February 2023 it was revealed that Smith had subpoenaed Pence, who fought to avoid testifying. While a court subsequently limited his testimony, Pence ultimately answered questions before the grand jury in April. Four months later Trump was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding and three counts of conspiracy.
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. He was the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under Donald Trump . Before becoming vice president, he served as the 50th governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017.
- Sue Ellspermann, Eric Holcomb
- Donald Trump
Oct 30, 2023 · Learn about the life and career of Mike Pence, the former vice president of the United States who served under Donald Trump and was a U.S. congressman and Indiana governor. Find out his quick facts, early life, education, professional career, political achievements, family, controversies, and 2024 presidential campaign.
Jan 20, 2011 · Updated on September 20, 2022. Mike Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021.
- Marcus Hawkins
The Mike Pence 2024 presidential campaign was formally launched on June 5, 2023, when Mike Pence filed paperwork to launch his entry into the 2024 United States presidential election. He formally announced his candidacy two days later. He withdrew from the race on October 28.
Michael Richard Pence is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.
