Former US Vice President Mike Pence received the Profile in Courage Award on Sunday for refusing to support Republican Donald Trump’s efforts to remain as President of the US, despite losing in 2020 elections, TASR writes.
John F. Kennedy’s Library Foundation highlighted Pencea “for deploying his life and career to ensure the constitutional transfer of the presidential power on January 6, 2021.”
Pence at 6. January
Pence, who refused to submit to Trump’s pressure on that day, explained in his speech that “he fulfilled his duty to support the peaceful handover of power according to the United States Constitution” on that day. He added that “January 6 was a tragic day, but became a triumph of freedom.” According to him, history will remember that “our institutions will stand up.”
The AP noticed that the Pence mentioned the Constitution of the United States several times in his speech after taking over the honors. He described it as “what connects us across time and generations … It’s what makes us one nation.”
Trump’s pressure and consequences
During his 10-minute speech, however, the Pence did not mention Trump once, but he mentioned several times about his administration.
He stated that he probably does not agree with part of the Democrats, but also with its own Republican party “on spending, tariffs and belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand by Ukraine until the Russian invasion is reflected and until the righteous and permanent peace is secured”.
AP recalled that Trump pushed Pencea after the elections in 2020 to refuse to recognize the results of the elections from the so -called. indecisive states because they were allegedly marked by fraud. Pence refused to do so, saying that he was not legally authorized to do so.
When the crowd of Trump’s supporters on January 6, 2021, in Washington, some of the attackers chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pencea”. Pencea was subsequently carried out by the secret service agents, and the confrontation with the troublemakers avoided only tightly. However, he refused their advice to leave the chapter – he stayed there to continue the meeting that confirmed the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
The importance of the award
According to Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who, together with his grandson Jack Schlossberg, gave award, Pence’s actions on that day were reminded that democracy was not free to perceive as a matter of course.
“At that time, she thought the Pence Vice President was just doing his job. Only later did I realize that his courageous act saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now,” Kennedy added.
The Pence Award is named after the book Profiles of Care, which Kennedy published in 1957 – before he became president. It is granted public officials who are interested in principle attitudes despite potential consequences for their political or personal life. The laureates of the awards include former Presidents of Barack Obama, George HW Bush and Gerald Ford.
Attitude towards Trump
The AP said the Pence became one of the few Republicans who opposed Trump’s administration. His political action group Advancing American Freedom, for example, led a campaign against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy ml. to the post of Minister of Health. In addition, he has repeatedly urged Pencs to Trump to stand on the side of the United States’s long -time foreign allies. He also published his article on the limitation of the US President’s power – he wrote it ten years ago – after Trump said that “one who saves his country does not violate any law”.
