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U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who is he?

Posted February. 08, 2018 08:16,   

Updated February. 08, 2018 08:16

한국어

“I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” This is an expression‎ U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who will be participating the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics with U.S. senior level delegates, uses to introduce himself. Vice President Pence, who prioritizes moral rules based on Christian ethics and traditional conservative principles, appears to be incompatible with President Donald Trump, who is a “populist” in many terms. Nevertheless, Mr. Pence led Mr. Trump to win the presidential elections by showing unparalleled loyalty and winning the hearts of conservative voters, who were wavering due to Mr. Trump’s blunt remarks and scandals. After the establishment of the current administration, Vice President Pence is assessed to be a balance weight of the chaotic White House.

Vice President Pence, whose father participated in the Korean War and received the Bronze Star medal in 1953, worked as a lawyer in Indiana and started politics in 1988. After failing on various occasions, Mike Pence was elected as a member of the House of the Representatives in Indiana in 2000. Mr. Pence was seeking to be re-elected as the governor of Indiana in 2012 after being elected for six times in a row before he became a candidate for vice presidency in the United States.

There were sexual discrimination issues surrounding Mr. Pence when his Pence Rule, “I never dine alone with a woman who is not my wife,” was revealed. However, as the #MeToo campaign against sexual abuse swept across the United States, people started to say “Pence was right.”

He has been a long supporter of free trade as he voted pro to various FTA related votes including the KORUS FTA, and fully supported the TPP, which President Trump decided to withdraw from, until he met Mr. Trump. Overall, many people assess that Mr. Pence, who is more like a “internationalist,” does not fit well in Trump’s White House.


Gi-Jae Han record@donga.com