Former Vice President Mike Pence was one of the keynote speakers at Washington’s White-Tie Gridiron Club dinner on Saturday, an event that is typically the epitome of snarky humor.
But as Pence addressed the crowd of about 600 journalists, government officials and lawmakers, he turned serious toward the end of his monologue, this time condemning Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson for directing the attack on the U.S. Capitol on March 6 has dismissed it. He also used his strongest language to criticize Donald Trump’s behavior that day.
Pence did not name Carlson but rebuked his characterization of the Jan. 6 rioters as “tourists.”
“January 6 was a tragic day for him. I was there at the Capitol and I can assure you that it was not, as some would have us believe, tourists quietly enjoying our Capitol.”
He added: “Tourists do not injure 140 police officers by sight-seeing. Tourists don’t break down doors to get to the speaker of the House of Representatives. Or making threats to government officials. The American people have a right to know what happened in the Capitol on January 6th. I trust that the members of Fourth Estate will continue to do their work. Make no mistake: what happened that day was a disgrace, and it is a travesty of decency to portray it otherwise.”
Pence recounted his experience at the Capitol that day when he refused Secret Service requests to leave the complex to ensure his safety.
“When I was escorted through the Senate, the Secret Service told me to leave the building,” Pence said. “But I was determined to stay. I believed law enforcement would quickly get the situation under control without thinking about what would happen. But it was there in this little office near the Senate Chambers, there was a little TV, and we watched what was happening outside – the chaos and the riots. You could hear it knocking outside and shortly afterwards in the corridors.”
He added: “I have always told my children that the safest place on earth is centered in God’s will. I knew where we needed to be, doing what we needed to do.”
Pence then said Trump’s behavior was putting his family at risk.
“I wasn’t scared, but I was angry. President Trump was wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words put my family and everyone in the Capitol at risk that day. And I know history will hold Donald Trump responsible for what happened.
Pence later told Deadline that he made the comments about Carlson because he was concerned that “this story would overwhelm us,” referring to the Fox News host’s attempt to downplay the seriousness of the attack.
Pence said that as the commotion worsened on Jan. 6, his intelligence chief came in for a third time and said “with more urgency in his voice that we have to leave the building. But I felt relieved. The more he insisted, the more I did. Finally I put my finger in his chest and said, ‘You can’t hear it. I’m not going. I’m not giving these people the sight of a motorcade of 16 cars speeding down from the Capitol not.”
Pence also praised the news media, telling the crowd that “we can stay at our jobs [at the Capitol] partly because you stayed at your post. The American people know what happened that day because you never stopped reporting it. Their work inspired our actions and the actions of all elected officials who reconvened on the same day and turned a day of tragedy into a triumph of freedom.
The former vice president, who is considering running for president in 2024, received a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Most of the dinner is devoted to the song and dance satire of the journalists and the humor of the speakers from Republicans and Democrats – this time Pence, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The motto is “Singe, not burn”, although there have been many jokes about George Santos, Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy having a bad bite.
Some of the best zingers were self-deprecating. Pence opened his remarks “with a word of prayer.” The room fell silent for a few seconds before he said, “Just kidding.”
“There’s this idea that I’m some kind of religious idiot,” Pence said. “I mean, just ask my sons: Jedediah, Obadiah and Zechariah.”
“I am a man of deep faith. In fact, my favorite pronouns are you and yours.
Then he made some jokes about his former boss.
“I try to share my faith. I once invited President Trump to a Bible study. The was an experience. He really liked the parts about beating and destroying your enemies. As he put it, ‘You know, Mike, there’s some really, really good stuff in there,’ ” Pence said, doing a certain impression of Trump.
Which reminds me. I read that some of these secret documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were in the Presidential Bible. Which proves he had absolutely no idea.”
“Honestly, I learned a lot working with Donald Trump, like subpoenas.”
Pence is questioning a subpoena from special counsel Jack Smith requesting testimony on Jan. 6.
In his comedic material about Trump, Pence also gave his best take on Bette Midler and “Wing Beneath My Wings.” “People are often curious if his ego was as sensitive as it seemed,” Pence said. Not really, although he actually liked it when I sang one of his favorite songs before our weekly lunches. Did you all know that you are my hero? You are everything I want to be
Afterwards, Pence was asked what it was like to come up with the jokes. “It was brutal,” he joked.
President Joe Biden was invited to the dinner but did not attend, instead sending Blinken to represent the government with stand-up footage. “I am apparently the first secretary of state in modern history to do this job while my wife and I are raising young children. So I hear a lot about ice cream and fast cars and choo-choo trains, and it’s being in the Oval Office with President Biden.
Blink joked about media. “According to the guest list, there are 600 here tonight. CNN would kill for such an audience.”
His humor also included a single on Fox News that addressed the Dominion lawsuit, which produced thousands of pages of emails and text messages showing that figures and executives doubted Trump’s baseless election claims, but allowed them to in the ether to be strengthened.
“But seriously, it’s great to have so many journalists committed to reporting the truth or, if you’re Fox, to private texting,” Blinken said.
He also got a kick out of Pence. “The vice president and I have one thing in common: neither of us will ever be president.” After a few ooohs, Blinken said, “Okay, that’s a little unfair. I still have fuel in the tank.”
The event at the Omni Shoreham Hotel attracted personalities ranging from Bill Nye to Dr. Anthony Fauci. Unlike the larger White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, the Gridiron does not allow cameras at the event, which dates back to 1885.
Traditionally, at the end of the evening, everyone present joins in singing “Auld Lang Syne”.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
