6 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Vice President Pick
Here’s another reminder that Trump is inching closer to the Oval Office: he just picked a running mate! Trump picked the Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, as his choice for vice president, and chances are you’ve never heard of this bro.
To be honest, we had no idea who this guy was either before writing this post. We were expecting someone who has been more obvious and in the spotlight, like Chris Christie or Satan. So we did our research and gathered a few facts about the guy, who is apparently almost as awful as Trump.
1. He likened the Obamacare ruling to 9/11
Back in 2012 when the universal healthcare bill also known as “Obamacare” was the main political point of convo, Mike Pence said during a closed door House GOP meeting that the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Democratic health care law was similar to terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Because, you know, getting healthcare is apparently similar to plowing two planes into the Twin Towers.
He did apologize for it, though, saying, “My remarks at the Republican Conference following the Supreme Court decision were thoughtless. I certainly did not intend to minimize any tragedy our nation has faced and I apologize,” in a statement to POLITICO.
2. He opposed Trump’s ban on Muslims
Here’s a glimmer of hope. After Trump made those disgusting comments about wanting to keep every immigrant or refugee that was Muslim out of the country, Mike Pence tweeted his disapproval. He also tweeted that the constitution “protects freedom of religion” and that we should not discriminate based on religion. He also still hasn’t deleted the tweets, which is a pretty good sign.
Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional.
— Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) December 8, 2015
3. He supported Ted Cruz during the primaries
This might be a snag in the Trump-Pence union. During the heat of the primary season when more candidates were running, he endorsed Cruz in April after praising Cruz’s “knowledge of the Constitution” and his willingness to “take on the leadership” of his own party, according to CNN.
He also said, “Let me be very clear on this race: Whoever wins the Republican nomination for president of the United States, I’m going to work my heart out to get elected this fall.” So, after Trump secured the Republican nomination, Mike changed his tune and began endorsing Trump.
4. He’s about as pro-life as they get
As Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence signed into law one of the most ridiculous anti-abortion laws this year. The law forbids women from getting abortions in cases of fetal disability, and requires women to bury or cremate fetal remains. Like! What! This is not only sick and twisted but also requires a lot of unnecessary paperwork, which further discourages women from getting abortions that they might need.
The law also placed heavy restrictions on abortion clinics which are almost identical to those that the Supreme Court recently found unconstitutional in Texas. Looks like Trump and Pence are two peas in a bigoted pod!
5. He disagrees with Trump on the war in Iraq
While Trump has masqueraded as a human being by repeatedly criticizing the decision Bush made in 2001 to invade Iraq, Mike Pence has defended the war. Trump called the war a “big fat mistake” and accused the Bush administration of lying about the WMDs to gain support for the invasion.
Pence, on the other hand, voted in favor of the invasion in 2002 while he was serving in the House of Representatives as a congressman. He also said he would have gone to war after hearing that there was not evidence to support the claim that there were WMDs in Iraq.
6. He signed a bill making it okay for Indiana businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers
So much for your freedom of religion, huh Mikey? The “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” he signed into law allows “any individual or corporation to cite religious beliefs as a defense when sued by a private party,” according to the Huffington Post.
Get this: there was so much backlash from Indiana residents and businesses that only a week later, Pence signed an amendment to the bill which clarifies that the law doesn’t allow businesses to deny goods or services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Regardless of the changes, Indiana still doesn’t have specific LGBT equality protection laws though!
