The NY Post has an interview (sort of–the way it is reported is rather stilted, if not unnecessarily choppy) with former veep and current presidential candidate, Mike Pence (Mike Pence promises to fire FBI Director Chris Wray, blasts ‘puppet master’ Soros in Post interview).
The first thing to strike me is the headline reference to Soros, which is plain and simply an anti-semitic trope. Shame on the Post for spotlighting it and shame on Pence for saying it. What’s amazing is that the piece cites the phrase “puppet master” three times: in the headline, in the caption of a large photo of Soros (as if that is somehow a central part of the interview), and once in the text, but that is all of the quote from Pence that is provided.
So, again, Pence brought the phrase to the table, but the Post is clearly trying to squeeze all it can from the trope.
Pence clearly wants to try and embrace all the good vibes that the GOP base has for the Trump administration while clumsily trying to differentiate himself.
“I’ll always be proud of the record of the Trump administration,” Pence said.
“I was always loyal to President Trump . . . right up until when my loyalty to the Constitution required me to do otherwise,” he added, alluding to his refusal to help overturn Trump’s 2020 presidential election defeat
This is pretty remarkable on a number of levels.
First, let’s not gloss over the fact that he is here admitting that, yes, he was asked by the former president to violate his loyalty to the Constitution. You’d think that would be a bigger schism than it appears to be. I mean, sure, he admits in the interview that he is no longer friends with Trump, but hey, they were probably never great buds to begin with.
Second, having admitted that he was asked to violate the Constitution he still wants to wrap himself in the record of the Trump administration! (Not surprising, to be sure, but as with most things Trump and Trump adjacent, the unsurprising can still be pretty amazing).
It is a rather strange dance, and I still maintain it underscores the impossibility of his candidacy.
Moreover, he goes on to detail a host of ways he differs from Trump (e.g., on Ukraine, on the deficit, on Social Security and Medicare, etc.).
He also is trying to thread the needle on Trump’s recent indictment.
Pence called the spectacle a “sad day for our country,” but also added that “the indictment includes serious charges, and I can’t defend what is alleged.”
But, at the same time,
…Pence was unsparing in his criticism of the Department of Justice and FBI.
“The American people have lost confidence in the Department of Justice. And if I’m president of the United States on day one, we’re going to clean house on the top floor of the Department of Justice and bring in a whole new group of people,” Pence said.
Among the Day 1 departures would be FBI Director Christopher Wray, who Pence promised to fire.
So, you know, the charges are serious and he won’t defend Trump, but he will clean house at the DoJ! This includes Trump’s own appointee to head the FBI.
The whole approach is an inartful mix of wanting to have his cake and eat it too. It is made all the worse by the way the Post reporter wrote up the interview (and man, their web site is just a bloated mess).
