2016-11-09 08:00:00
Discreet smile, carefully styled white hair, Mike Pence describes himself as a “Christian, a conservative and a Republican… in that order”. The now vice-president-elect contrasts Donald Trump’s blunt and often polemical tone with a smoother facade and real communicative talents. And when they open the doors of the White House, he will bring to the billionaire, a political novice, valuable experience behind the scenes in Washington.
Elected from Indiana to the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, Mike Pense then became governor of this state in the east-central United States. He established himself as the herald of traditional family values, in a region very attached to conservatism.
Indiana has also given back its years of governance, by voting more than 57% for the Republican camp on Tuesday. “Thank you to Indiana for making our state the first to vote to Make America Great Again!” rejoiced Mike Pence following the announcement of the first results of the electoral evening.
This firm opponent of abortion and homosexual marriage had recently spoken out once morest the reception of Syrian refugees in his state. “It’s the most extreme choice of this generation,” Hillary Clinton immediately denounced when she announced her nomination as Donald Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket.
Since then, the 57-year-old trained lawyer and former radio host has remained faithful to his customary courtesy, standing in the shadow of Donald Trump’s thunderous personality and not hesitating to kick in to avoid defending positions the billionaire’s most controversial. The two men were not particularly close before Pence’s appointment.
The Trump children’s choice
The governor initially supported conservative Ted Cruz, one of the billionaire’s most serious opponents in the Republican primary campaign. He has even sometimes convincingly rejected the views of Donald Trump, denouncing in particular as “insulting and unconstitutional” his idea of banning the entry of Muslims into the United States, to fight once morest terrorism.
But Mike Pence was apparently the favorite of the Trump children, very influential in their father’s campaign, once morest the strong, more unpredictable personalities of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. The billionaire had gone to meet him several times just before choosing him as his running mate.
His conservative positions may have helped Donald Trump to seduce an electorate initially reluctant to face the personality of the unpredictable billionaire. Highly visible during the televised debate which pitted him once morest Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, Mike Pence also played a decisive role for the Republican candidate in the “Rust Belt”, an industrial region in the northeast in decline, which includes Indiana and especially Ohio, a decisive hold on the billionaire’s road to the White House.
His electoral task accomplished, the future vice-president knows that he will have a new, equally crucial role to play. Thanks to these good relationships within the Republicans, Mike Pense will be able to facilitate the reconstruction of the party, strongly divided following the shock of the candidacy and then the victory of Donald Trump.
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