Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Mike Pence
A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Mike Pence.
Michael Richard Pence is an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 48th Vice President of the United States from 2017 to 2021, under President Donald Trump. Prior to his role as Vice President, Pence served as the 50th Governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017. Before becoming governor, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Indiana from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.
1990: Ran controversial television ad during campaign
During the 1990 campaign, Pence ran a television advertisement featuring an actor in a robe and headdress, speaking in a Middle Eastern accent, which was viewed as controversial.
1999: City of Gary Lawsuit
In 1999, the City of Gary filed a lawsuit against gun manufacturers and retailers that allegedly made illegal sales of handguns. In May 2015, Pence signed into law Senate Bill 98, which retroactively terminated the City of Gary's still-pending 1999 lawsuit against gun manufacturers and retailers.
2002: Pence's Interview Statement
During an interview in 2002, Pence told a reporter that he would not have dinner alone with a woman other than his wife.
2002: Statement on Intelligent Design
In 2002, Mike Pence stated on the floor of the House of Representatives that he believes "only the theory of intelligent design provides even a remotely rational explanation for the known universe."
2009: East Chicago Superfund Site
In 2009, parts of East Chicago were discovered to have toxic lead and arsenic contamination and were designated a Superfund site. Governor Pence declined to declare the Superfund site a state emergency.
2009: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was enacted, which Pence had voted against while a congressman. In 2014, Pence supported the Indiana Gateway project which was paid for by the Act.
2009: Belief in Creation
In 2009, when asked if he believed in evolution, Mike Pence stated "I believe with all my heart that God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them."
2011: Planned Parenthood Defunding
In 2011, the Republican-controlled legislature and Pence defunded Planned Parenthood, which operated five rural clinics in Indiana that tested for HIV and offered prevention, intervention, and counseling to improve public health outcomes.
June 12, 2013: Veto Override on Local Tax Bill
On June 12, 2013, the Indiana Legislature overrode Governor Pence's veto of a bill to retroactively authorize a local tax. The bill, addressing the Jackson-Pulaski tax fix, allowed the county to retain money from a 15-year-old county income tax that had not been properly reduced, instead of returning it to taxpayers.
June 2013: Criticism for Deleting Facebook Comments
In June 2013, Mike Pence was criticized and apologized for deleting comments posted on his official government Facebook page.
2013: Scott County Loses HIV Testing Center
Scott County has been without an HIV testing center since 2013, after Pence defunded Planned Parenthood. The PP clinic in Scott County performed no abortions.
December 2014: HIV Outbreak in Southern Indiana
Beginning in December 2014, there was an HIV outbreak in Southern Indiana. Pence's actions regarding Planned Parenthood and needle exchange programs came under scrutiny during this time.
2014: Firearms Allowed in Vehicles on School Property
In 2014, Pence signed a bill allowing firearms to be kept in vehicles on school property, over the opposition of Indiana school organizations.
January 26, 2015: Plans for State-Run News Service
On January 26, 2015, reports surfaced that Mike Pence planned to launch "JustIN", a state-run, taxpayer-funded news service for Indiana, drawing criticism for potential bias and redundancy.
March 2015: Approval of Needle Exchanges
In March 2015, well after the HIV outbreak began, Pence finally allowed at least five counties to open needle exchanges, but did not move to lift the state ban on funding for needle exchanges.
March 26, 2015: Signing of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act
On March 26, 2015, Mike Pence signed Indiana Senate Bill 101, known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), into law, leading to praise from religious conservatives and criticism from those fearing LGBT discrimination. Several organizations and businesses spoke out against the law, with some halting expansion plans in the state, while thousands protested the policy.
March 31, 2015: Defense of Indiana's Religious Freedom Law
On March 31, 2015, Mike Pence defended Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, stating it was not about discrimination and that he would veto any bill legalizing discrimination.
April 2, 2015: Revision of Indiana's Religious Freedom Law
On April 2, 2015, Mike Pence signed legislation revising Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to protect against potential discrimination, following backlash against the original law.
May 2015: Bill Stripping Authority from Glenda Ritz
In May 2015, Pence signed a bill stripping Glenda Ritz of much of her authority over standardized testing and other education issues, reconstituting the State Board of Education dominated by Pence appointees.
May 2015: Senate Bill 98 Signed into Law
In May 2015, Pence signed into law Senate Bill 98, which limited lawsuits against gun and ammunition manufacturers and sellers and retroactively terminated the City of Gary's still-pending 1999 lawsuit against gun manufacturers and retailers that allegedly made illegal sales of handguns.
2015: Opposition to EPA's Clean Power Plan
In 2015, Pence sent a letter to President Obama denouncing the EPA's Clean Power Plan and stating that Indiana would refuse to comply with the plan.
February 2016: Federal Judge Ruled Against Pence's Order to Cut off Federal Funds
In February 2016, a federal judge ruled that Mike Pence's order to cut off federal funds for a local non-profit refugee resettlement agency was unconstitutional; Pence unsuccessfully appealed.
March 2016: Signing of Indiana H.B. 1337
In March 2016, Mike Pence, as Indiana governor, signed H.B. 1337 into law, banning certain abortion procedures based on the fetus' race, gender, or fetal abnormality, and requiring fetal remains to be buried or cremated.
August 2016: Payout of Incentives to Companies Sending Jobs Abroad
By August 2016, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation had paid out $8.7 million in incentives to companies who sent jobs abroad.
October 7, 2016: Response to Trump's Lewd Comments
On October 7, 2016, Mike Pence stated he did not condone Donald Trump's lewd comments but would stand by him and declined to attend a joint campaign event, advising Trump to handle the situation himself.
2016: Email Account Compromised
In 2016, Mike Pence's personal AOL email account, which he used for official business as governor, was hacked, and used to send fraudulent emails.
2016: Defiance of EPA Rule
In 2016, Pence said that even if legal challenges failed, Indiana would continue to defy the EPA rule and would not come up with its own plan to reduce emissions.
March 2017: Release of Emails from Personal Account
In March 2017, after Mike Pence became vice president, the State of Indiana released 29 emails from his personal AOL account to media outlets, while withholding others.
October 8, 2017: Pence walks out of NFL game over kneeling protests.
On October 8, 2017, Mike Pence walked out of an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers after some 49ers players knelt during the national anthem. Pence stated this was out of disrespect for soldiers, the flag, and the national anthem, which led to widespread criticism and accusations of a publicity stunt.
April 2018: H.B. 1337 Ruled Unconstitutional
In April 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled H.B. 1337, the abortion bill signed by Mike Pence in March 2016, unconstitutional.
October 2018: Pence Accuses China of Predatory Economic Practices and Election Meddling
In October 2018, Mike Pence delivered a speech at the Hudson Institute, accusing China of predatory economic practices, military aggression, attempting to undermine President Trump, and meddling in U.S. elections. The speech was characterized as signaling a new Cold War.
2018: Potential Replacement of Trump on Republican Ticket
According to Bob Woodward's 2018 book, Fear, Reince Priebus suggested to Donald Trump that he drop out of the presidential race and be replaced by Mike Pence, with Condoleezza Rice as Pence's running mate.
2018: Conservatives Opposed Changes to RFRA
In 2018, emails revealed that conservatives had opposed Mike Pence's support of changes to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
September 1, 2019: Pence meets with Zelensky in Poland during delay in U.S. aid to Ukraine.
On September 1, 2019, Mike Pence met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Poland during a period when U.S. military aid to Ukraine was unexpectedly delayed. Pence stated that he raised issues of Ukrainian corruption but did not mention Joe Biden.
September 2019: Pence Stays at Trump Resort During Official Trip to Ireland
In September 2019, Mike Pence attended official meetings in Dublin, Ireland, but stayed at President Trump's resort in Doonbeg, 180 miles away, resulting in high transportation costs, including $599,000 for limousine service.
January 2020: Pence Defends Trump's Decision to Assassinate Qasem Soleimani.
In January 2020, Mike Pence defended Trump's decision to assassinate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, promoting conspiracy theories linking al-Qaeda to Iran, which experts disputed.
April 2020: Pence exempted himself from Mayo Clinic mask policy.
In April 2020, Mike Pence exempted himself from the Mayo Clinic's policy requiring face masks, sparking criticism for irresponsible public health messaging. He later acknowledged his error and wore a mask on subsequent visits.
June 2020: Pence makes misleading claims about coronavirus pandemic.
In late June 2020, Mike Pence gave an optimistic press briefing where he made several misleading and false claims about the state of the coronavirus pandemic, including falsely claiming that fatalities were declining and that surges were due to increased testing.
December 2020: Lawsuit Filed Against Pence
In December 2020, Republican congressman Louie Gohmert and 11 Arizona Republicans filed a federal lawsuit against Pence, seeking to grant him the power to reject state-certified presidential electors in favor of "competing slates of electors" in an attempt to overturn Biden's victory. The lawsuit was quickly dismissed due to lack of standing.
2020: Pence Misrepresents Circumstances of Federal Officer's Death.
During the 2020 Republican convention, Mike Pence inaccurately stated that a federal security officer was killed by rioters in Oakland, when in fact, the perpetrator was linked to the far-right Boogaloo movement.
2020: Appointment to Head Coronavirus Response
In 2020, President Trump appointed Pence to head the country's response to coronavirus, touting his ostensible experience with quelling an epidemic of HIV in Indiana, even though Pence deliberately delayed his state government's response to the disease.
January 2021: Trump Pressures Pence to Overturn Election
In January 2021, Trump pressured Pence to overturn the election results during the January 6th congressional joint session. Pence refused, stating the Constitution did not grant him that power. Trump insisted Pence could act, creating a major point of contention. Also in January 2021, Trump reportedly called Pence urging him to act as a patriot.
October 2022: Pence Condemns "Unprincipled Populism"
In October 2022, Pence condemned "unprincipled populism" and "Putin apologists" within the Republican Party.
2022: Pence Endorses Candidates Against Trump's Choices
In 2022, Pence separated himself from Trump by endorsing candidates in several Republican primary elections in opposition to the candidate endorsed by Trump in Georgia and Arizona.
January 2023: Classified Documents Found at Pence's Home
In January 2023, after classified documents were found at President Joe Biden's home, Pence asked his lawyer to search his home and the attorney found around a dozen documents marked as classified in Pence's Indiana home and turned over the documents to the FBI.
February 9, 2023: Pence Subpoenaed by Special Counsel
On February 9, 2023, Pence was subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith regarding the January 6th Capitol attack, after months of negotiation.
April 27, 2023: Pence Testifies Before Grand Jury
On April 27, 2023, Pence testified before a grand jury, stating, "We'll obey the law, we'll tell the truth."
2023: Pence Criticizes Trump Regarding January 6th Events
In 2023, Pence criticized former President Donald Trump, especially regarding the events that took place on January 6, 2021. Pence said that Trump was wrong to suggest that Pence had a right to overturn the election results, adding that Trump's words not only endangered him, but his family and everyone at the Capitol.
March 15, 2024: Pence Announces He Will Not Endorse Trump or Biden
On March 15, 2024, Pence announced that he would not endorse Trump, nor would he support Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
August 9, 2024: Pence Reiterates No Endorsement
On August 9, 2024, Pence reiterated that he would not endorse Trump, nor would he support Kamala Harris after Biden withdrew from the race.
2024: Pence Criticizes GOP Stance on Abortion
Ahead of the RNC in 2024, Pence released a statement condemning the new GOP stance on abortion, which echoed Trump's position that the issue should be determined by individual states, describing this shift as a "profound disappointment".
