When Donald Trump’s supporters cast their votes for him this November, they’re actually voting for Indiana Governor Mike Pence to have full executive power, which should make them think twice.
In a revealing interview in New York Times Magazine, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said his father’s first choice for running mate was Ohio Governor John Kasich — Trump’s former primary rival who finished in second place behind him in the New Hampshire primary. This is despite Trump referring to the Ohio governor as “1 for 38 Kasich” (a reference to Gov. Kasich only winning the Republican primary in his home state) during the primary process, and despite Kasich working with Texas senator Ted Cruz to deny Trump the delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
Trump’s plans for his vice president were first revealed by Trump Jr. in a meeting with a Kasich adviser:
…[A]ccording to the Kasich adviser (who spoke only under the condition that he not be named), Donald Jr. wanted to make him an offer nonetheless: Did he have any interest in being the most powerful vice president in history?
When Kasich’s adviser asked how this would be the case, Donald Jr. explained that his father’s vice president would be in charge of domestic and foreign policy.
Then what, the adviser asked, would Trump be in charge of?
“Making America great again” was the casual reply.
With Pence in charge of domestic and foreign policy, Trump would be relegated to figurehead status, a move similar to how Trump licensed his name to many enterprises over which he had no direct managerial supervision.
This is particularly worrisome for women and Latinos, as Pence has been a staunch opponent of immigration and Planned Parenthood, suing the Obama administration as a member of Congress over immigration measures, and being one of the first Republicans to propose completely defunding the women’s health organization that provides low-cost breast cancer screenings, STD tests, and contraception.
Pence is also widely seen as antagonistic to workers, having opposed raising the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour in 2007. As Governor of Indiana, Pence vetoed a 2013 proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage to a paltry $8.25 an hour. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single parent would need to make $21.10 an hour today to earn a living wage.
Pence is also vehemently anti-LGBT, and he once infamously said he prioritized the funding of gay conversion therapy over treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The news of Pence’s possible takeover of the presidency is unprecedented for any administration to openly admit during the course of a campaign. It may shock enough Trump supporters into reconsidering casting their ballots for Mike Pence to run the country, as the Indiana governor didn’t garner a single vote throughout the entire primary process.
