Mike Pence — known, among other things, for leading America’s abysmal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and attracting flies during a vice presidential debate — is going through a transitional period. He’s lost his job; he’s broken up with Donald Trump. Basically, it’s the perfect time to explore something new, and unfortunately for us, it looks like that new venture is something nobody asked for or wanted: a podcast for conservative youth.
On Friday, Pence announced that he would be joining the Young America’s Foundation as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar. According to YAF’s statement, his video podcast will aim to “share the good news of conservatism through one of today’s most popular mediums.” He’ll also speak at college campuses and write a monthly op-ed about modern conservative issues.
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“Vice President Pence has been a stalwart defender of individual freedom, traditional values, free markets, and limited government throughout his career of distinguished service to our country,” said YAF President Scott Walker, who is himself the former Governor of Wisconsin. (Walker also famously called the decision to legalize same-sex marriage “a grave mistake,” just to give you an idea of what we’re working with here.) “Vice President Pence’s energy and enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan’s values has and will continue to inspire a new generation of young people.” Yikes!
Pence has kept a low profile since leaving his role as Vice President. He plans to move back to Indiana, and he announced earlier this week that he’s opening a transition office in Washington, D.C. and he plans to “elevate causes” that are important to him. He also plans on moving back to Indiana.
And, his final days in office were tense: Trump blasted him for ultimately refusing to endorse his unsubstantiated, false theory that the election was stolen from him. “Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” he wrote. They reportedly had a “good” conversation on Jan. 11, but Pence’s advisers have said that they believe Trump owes him an apology, both for putting his life (and many others) at risk during the attack on the U.S. Capitol and “trying to dupe people” into believing that Pence was at fault for the election results.
Pence’s last public appearance was at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. It’s uncertain if Pence and Trump have been in contact since then, but we can safely assume that Trump will not be tuning into Pence’s podcast. I can envision him leaving some long, scathing reviews, though.