Pence cleans up after Trump; is markedly different from his boss

WASHINGTON — Mr Mike Pence has spent many of his first 100 days as Vice-President of the United States ironing out problems induced by President Donald Trump at home and abroad, but he has also been steadily building political capital of his own.

The 57-year-old former Indiana governor and congressman has spent much of the past three months shuttling around Washington and the world, happily representing an administration that seems to stagger from one crisis to the next.

On his travels, Mr Pence is almost always carrying the political equivalent of a mop and bucket.

His latest trip — a gruelling nine-day swing through the Asia-Pacific — saw Mr Pence try to reassure panicky allies that Mr Trump is not about to rip up decades-old mutual defence pacts that underpin the global order.

“His job has been to clean up messes, try to assure foreign leaders and members of Congress, and to present the image of governance in times of turbulence,” said Dr Julian Zelizer, a political expert at Princeton University.

At home, that task has meant trying to rescue Mr Trump’s healthcare and tax reforms from the legislative shoals. “Mr Pence has been willing to do the shuttle diplomacy it takes to get things done in Congress,” one Republican told AFP, pointing to Mr Pence’s talks with moderates in the government.

“It’s not uncommon to see Pence and his entourage making their way from one end of the Capitol to the other between meetings with House and Senate leaders.”

In many ways, Mr Pence is an unlikely messenger for Mr Trump.

A dyed-in-the-wool conservative, Mr Pence is as down-at-home Mid-western nice as his trash-talking New York boss is brash.

He rarely eats out, regularly goes to church, and only has the odd sip of wine during a toast.

While Mr Trump loves action movies, Mr Pence compels staff, Secret Service agents, and travelling journalists on Air Force Two to watch “Hoosiers”, the tale of an underdog Indiana farm-boy basketball team made good.

While Mr Trump’s family has opted not to join him in the White House, Mr Pence frequently brings his wife Karen and college-aged daughters Charlotte and Audrey on official trips.

Most notably, while Mr Trump revels in saying what he really thinks — consequences be damned — Mr Pence is almost painfully scripted.

During his travels, Mr Pence has studiously worked not to eclipse the boss or show any hint of difference. “I bring you greetings from the President of the United States of America,” he often says, stressing he is only there because Mr Trump asked him to be.

If there is political daylight between the two men, then Mr Pence and his staff do their best to make sure it is never seen in public.

“The Vice-President’s role, other than being the president of the Senate, is 100 per cent defined by the President,” said a senior administration official and aide.

“I think you’ve seen up to this point that the two of them have built a very close relationship — they work very well together,” the official added. AFP