What Mike Pence gets so wrong about Donald Trump

Mike Pence on Monday condemned Donald Trump for having dinner with White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West, who has voiced quite a few antisemitic views of late.

However in so doing, he additionally sought to rewrite some historical past.

“President Trump was unsuitable to offer a white nationalist, an antisemite and a Holocaust denier, a seat on the desk and I believe he ought to apologize for it,” Pence mentioned in an interview with NewsNation.

Up to now, so good. However then Pence went on.

“I don’t consider Donald Trump is an antisemite. I don’t consider he’s a racist or a bigot,” mentioned Pence. “I might not have been his vice chairman if he was.”

Which, effectively, that’s truthfully fairly debatable.

Take into account:

* After White nationalists provoked a violent conflict in 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump mentioned there have been “very wonderful individuals, on either side.”

* Trump decried immigrants coming to the US from “shithole international locations” throughout a gathering with lawmakers in 2018.

* Trump has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 because the “kung flu” and the “China virus.”

* Trump propagated the lie that Barack Obama was not truly born in the USA and due to this fact was ineligible to be president. Trump has additionally falsely prompt that Kamala Harris was not eligible to be vice chairman.

* In his presidential marketing campaign announcement speech in 2015, Trump insisted that Mexico was sending “rapists” who have been “bringing crime” and “bringing medicine” into the US.

* Trump mentioned {that a} federal decide of Mexican descent couldn’t be neutral a few case due to his supposed animosity about Trump’s plan to construct a wall on the southern border. (The decide was born in Indiana.)

* Trump referred to Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas” amid an issue about her claims of Native American heritage.

* Trump initially refused to sentence former KKK official David Duke, who endorsed his presidential marketing campaign. (Trump later mentioned he didn’t hear the query correctly and that he had disavowed Duke “the day earlier than [he was asked] at a significant convention.”)

* Trump tweeted that 4 minority members of the Democratic Home caucus ought to “return” to the international locations they have been from. Three of the 4 have been born in the USA.

* Trump as soon as described an try to impeach him as a “lynching.”

* Requested in regards to the Proud Boys, a White nationalist group, throughout a 2020 basic election debate, Trump informed the group to “stand again and stand by.”

There’s extra – much more – however you get the gist.

For years, Trump has trafficked in racial stereotypes, each out and in of workplace. Many of the feedback above occurred whereas Trump was within the White Home and Pence was serving as vice chairman.

It’s not possible to take a look at that report and never conclude – on the very least – that Trump was greater than keen to have interaction in bigoted language and racist tropes for what he perceived to be his personal private political profit.

Pence’s feedback on Monday are an try to paper over his personal position in aiding and abetting Trump’s conduct within the White Home. The easy truth is that Pence was a loyal second in command, commonly defending Trump from his numerous self-created controversies.

Pence’s want for revisionist historical past is comprehensible. Following his refusal to go together with Trump’s try to overturn the 2020 election outcomes, Pence has fallen out with Trump. Trump is now operating for president a 3rd time, whereas Pence is taking steps towards a bid of his personal.

However the report mirrored above is obvious: Trump’s resolution to fulfill with a White nationalist will not be the exception however the rule throughout his time in public life. And that very a lot consists of the years that Pence was at his facet.