Donald Trump named his VP pick, Mike Pence, on Friday, July 15. However, criticisms soon followed when his running mate's name was announced. The governor from Indiana is known as a staunch conservative, whose views about women have been attacked in the past.
Donald Trump VP Mike Pence And His Views On Women
Slate reports that Donald Trump made the right choice for Mike Pence and only because the VP pick is in line with Trump's own misogynistic views on women. In 1997, Pence wrote a letter to the editor of The Indianapolis Star stating that working mothers are short-changing their children's emotional growth by sending the kids to daycare instead. CNN cites that this view is in line with Trump's views that working mothers are "a bad idea."
More recently, Mike Pence signed House Bill 1337 that prohibits women the choice to abort their baby if tests show that the fetus will live a life with severe health problems. As a pro-life supporter, Pence also cut the funding for Planned Parenthood in Indiana, thus many STD testing centers ceased operation. HIV and other STD cases have been increasing in the state since this happened, per Chicago Tribune.
Mike Pence believes that the Disney character Mulan shouldn't be in the military and compares this to real-life military service. He cited that women cannot work in this field and that the notion is only a propaganda by liberal minds, per The Hill.
Donald Trump's VP pick is also not a supporter of LGBT. In one speech, Mike Pence sites gays and lesbians as the cause of a "societal collapse," per Time Magazine. He also opposed a law that would push for equal treatment of LGBT employees in the workplace.
Gov. Mike Pence: "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican - in that order." pic.twitter.com/tgn5BP7KlW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 19, 2016
Mike Pence is an experienced man, loves Jesus Christ, and is a strong family man who is married to his first wife. Great choice, Mr. Trump! — Joe Darcy (@JFDarcy3) July 15, 2016
Donald Trump VP Mike Pence And His Family
But on the flipside, Donald Trump's VP belongs to a close-knit family and remains a tight relationship with his mom, Nancy, who dreams he would be president of America one day. She describes her son as reliable, honest and sticks to his beliefs, per Wane. Needless to say, Mike Pence grew up with solid and traditional values.
The conservative has been married to his wife Karen for 31 years and they have three grown children - Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey. The VP contender's youngest child is said to be the most liberal thinker in the family, but Mike Pence actually respects her views despite his own conservative stance. In a piece on WTHR, Audrey said that her dad always says he's proud of her, even if there are issues that they don't necessarily agree with.
So, what do you think of Mike Pence? Would he be a good or bad choice for vice president? Sound off in the comments!
