Over the weekend, CNN’s Vaughn Hillyard reported that in response to the release of the tape containing “Donald Trump’s lewd comments about women” Gov. Mike Pence cancelled his appearance at a GOP event in Wisconsin and issued a statement regarding the video. Pence explained that he was offended by Trump’s remarks and that he “cannot defend them.” This response further shows the disparity between Mike Pence’s role as a vice presidential candidate and that of the typical vice presidential candidate. Pence expressed disdain of Trump’s comments even though one of the classical roles of a vice presidential candidate is to serve as an attack dog—almost exclusively going on the offensive but still playing defense when necessary to protect his or her running mate’s image. Pence first showed that this was not his strategy nor did he feel it was his duty in the Vice Presidential Debate. Instead of outright defending Trump, he chose to redirect the focus and skillfully avoid answering tough questions concerning his running mate.
Although Pence’s public response was to condemn Trump’s comments, his rhetoric regarding Trump just an hour after the release of the tape was quite the opposite. According to Hillyard, Pence appeared at a campaign rally on Friday and gave a speech in support of Trump. Pence touted Trump’s ability to lead and respect all Americans. He also hinted that the only barrier to Trump winning the presidency was how the media portrays him. Yet in light of this weekend’s October Surprise, Pence’s most damning statement was that “other than a whole lot of zeroes, Donald Trump and I have a lot in common.” This comparison sharply contrasts his later disapproval of Trump’s remarks and his effort to distance himself from Trump. In terms of vice presidential rhetoric, Pence’s political rally speech was what is expected of vice presidential candidates; however, Donald Trump’s off-the-rails behavior and comments have forced Mike Pence into a tough position of determining how much he can defend without risking his own political capital. Moving forward, Pence must employ rhetoric that is more typical of vice presidential candidates since he is one of Trump’s few remaining surrogates. He must support Trump even in the face of Trump’s actions and words should their campaign hope to take down the Clinton political machine.
The vice presidential candidates, for this year in particular, have a bigger job than v.p. candidates in the past have had. I wonder how the devout christian, Mike Pence, felt after the video of Trump’s horrendous comments were released. Even if he was not a christian, defending Trump would be extremely difficult.