Donald Trump recently announced that Indiana Governor Mike Pence is his running mate for the 2016 presidential race, and thus our vice-president if the toupee prevails in November. Though the infamous orange man succeeded in picking a running mate with more political experience than him, he failed to convince any of us that his campaign should be thought of as anything more than joke, given the level of hatred directed at Pence for some of his out of touch opinions and policies. Essentially, everyone who thought Trump would have the sense to choose a running mate that would be more palatable to traditional conservatives (“traditional” here means any conservative that rightfully finds Trump’s comments about women, immigrants, and Muslims to be reprehensible and un-presidential) was instantly proven wrong.
But as I buckled my seatbelt and prepared for the ensuing chaos (particularly with the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland), I thought that maybe Trump and Pence could be a match made in heaven. When placed side by side, both have some very questionable opinions and policies to their names, and it becomes a little less difficult to see how Pence got suckered into being Trump’s VP.
1. Restrictive Abortion Policies
Trump has said that women who get abortions should face some form of punishment. He later backtracked on this statement, but this is 2016, the era of the Internet and the instant replay, so once something like that is out in the world and on tape, it’s never going away. Alternatively, Pence signed into law a bill that banned women in Indiana from aborting a fetus with a disability, such as Down syndrome. This law was so restrictive that even pro-life Republican representatives in Indiana voted against it—but Pence supported it. War on women? Check, for both Trump and Pence.
2. The Infamous Border Wall
We all know that Trump is going to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, and that Mexico is going to pay for it. And it’s going to be such a great wall, the best wall any of us has ever seen. But how does Pence feel about it? In an interview on Fox News, Pence said that building the wall and securing the borders had to priority number one. Since we see Trump shouting about building a wall constantly, it’s probably safe to assume this his top priority also--if not, it's pretty high up there. They both like building walls--another check in the “compatible” column.
3. Torching the Constitution and Banning Muslims from Entering the Country
Finally, one of Trump’s most controversial opinions—his plan to ban Muslims from countries with high levels of terrorist activity from entering the country (because, as it turns out, the whole first amendment, religious freedom thing has been a long and elaborate practical joke). But does Pence feel the same way? Back in December, Pence called it “offensive and unconstitutional,” giving us hope that he might bring some much-needed common sense to this pairing. But in the same Fox News interview mentioned above, Pence made the most reviled move a politician can make—he flip-flopped, and supported Trump’s plan. Does he actually support it? Is he just agreeing with Trump to create a united front? If you spend too much time around Trump without a tinfoil hat, does he start mind-controlling you? I’m not sure, so I’ll add this to the “further study is needed” column.
At first glance, it seems the two line up on most major issues. But Pence’s flip-flop on the immigration ban points to a potential fissure in the relationship for the media to exploit until the end of time--or at least the end of the election. Whether he agrees with Trump on everything or not, I don’t think any of us really want to see this combo in the White House in January.
