Former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence spoke hours apart at the annual NRA convention in Indianapolis and proved that the schism in the Republican Party remains unhealed. If anything, the split between two factions of Republicans is wider and more fractious than ever.
To defeat Joe Biden and the Democrats in 2024, Republicans are going to have to be united. But scars from January 6 still rankle, and until that wound is cauterized, the GOP won’t have a prayer of defeating Joe Biden in 2024.
Mike Pence, as the presiding officer of the Senate, was designated by the Constitution of the United States to announce the results of the electoral college vote — a vote already held and impossible for anyone to change. Trump’s contention that Pence had the power to declare the election “fraudulent” and overturn the election results is the kind of thing that appeals to his followers who don’t know any better, but that never would have happened even if Pence slavishly did as Trump ordered. The vice president tried to tell Trump that, but he wasn’t listening to anyone at that point.
Even if you think the election was fraudulent, the bottom line is that Pence acted constitutionally and correctly. So why did the crowd at the NRA convention greet him with a round of boos?
After being introduced by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, Pence faced loud boos from across the room as attendees expressed what appeared to be a strong dislike for the former vice president and attempted to drown out those applauding him.
“Well hello NRA,” Pence began, to more boos.
One attendee then yelled above the boos, “We love you Mike!”
“I love you too,” Pence responded as a number of audience members laughed.
Former President Donald Trump, who spoke later in the day, appeared to joke at Pence’s expense over the boos, telling the crowd he heard they “made news” with the welcome.
“I hope you gave Pence a good warm approval,” Trump said, as members of the crowd booed again.
Trump’s hour-long speech had plenty of topical red meat tailored specifically for his audience.
Trump criticized “Democrat run cities” for a rise in crime and promised to “end the weaponization of our government including the ATF, the FBI and the DOJ.” He blamed Democratic mayors and federal agencies for not prosecuting crime.
Trump said school shootings across the country are not a “gun problem, but a mental health problem, a cultural problem and a spiritual problem.”
He said he wants to set up a program to train school teachers to carry firearms. “If we can send billions to Ukraine then we can afford to spend one-tenth of that amount to protect American children and American schools,” Trump said.
Mike Pence is not going to win the Republican nomination for president even if Donald Trump doesn’t. But he’s got an important point of view shared by millions of Republicans. To dismiss him and his followers out of hand would be a mistake of the first order, and hopefully, Trump is smarter than that.