Mike Pence’s Loyalty Test
Donald Trump believes Mike Pence can stop Congress from certifying his election loss. It’s not true, but there could still be hell to pay when he doesn’t.
IF IT WASN'T ALREADY obvious that the vice president was hurtling toward a precipice from which there may be no return, then President Donald Trump made it crystal clear Monday evening.
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"I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you," Trump said to thousands of cheering supporters at a rally in Georgia. "Of course, if he doesn't come through, I won't like him as much."
[ READ: Sasse: GOP Knows Trump Lost ]
The president laughed off the threat, but it hung in the air – the only newsy comment to come out of his campaign speech supporting Republicans in Tuesday's Georgia Senate runoff – and it generated thundering applause from a crowd that intermittently broke out into a "Stop the steal" chant. The president had been dancing around the idea for weeks, but his words made it canon: Pence, he explained to the crowd, could overturn the election results on Wednesday if he wanted to. And he should – or else.
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Trump doubled down on the false and futile message Tuesday: "The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors," he said.
In reality, Pence does not have the authority to overturn the election results, which have already been certified by the states and have not been found fraudulent. Instead, the job of the presiding officer is more of a ceremonial role – to keep order and decorum and to oversee the count of the Electoral College votes as they've been reported.
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Cartoons on President Donald Trump
Trump's strong-arm tactics present a problem for Pence perhaps unlike any he's faced in the last four years playing Trump's "yes man." Despite being the president's biggest ally, Pence has managed to inoculate himself from Trump's most toxic moments, associating himself with the president when he was needed and successfully distancing himself when it was dangerous for his own ambitions.
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But now, in what seems to be Trump's last-ditch effort – albeit one that constitutional law experts say has no validity or chance of succeeding – the president, in calling on Pence directly, places him on a pedestal before throngs of MAGA supporters, claiming he has the ability to give them what they want: four more years.
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It's a test of loyalty the president has already laid before members of Congress. At least 13 Republican senators and scores of House Republicans have pledged to challenge their state's certification to show their commitment to Trump. Those who refused to do so, including Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and one of the president's most ardent supporters, were quick to succumb to a public trashing by Trump.
Only a handful of Republicans have dared to call out the political stunt, and some have noticed that the final test of loyalty is the only one that matters.
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"It is disappointing this vote has become the exclusive litmus test for whether or not a member of Congress stands with President Trump," Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Republican, said in a statement Monday announcing he would not object to the Electoral College results. "One would have a hard time finding a more fervent, consistent, longstanding supporter of this President than I have been since he first announced his candidacy."
"There is not constitutionally viable means for the Congress to overturn an election wherein the states have certified and sent their Electors," Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said in a statement. "Some of my colleagues believe they have found a path, and while our opinions differ, I do not doubt their good intentions to take steps towards stamping out voter fraud. I disagree with their methods both in principle and in practice."
Pence hasn't publicly acknowledged his role as the presiding officer, though he met with the Senate parliamentarian on Sunday to discuss Wednesday's process.
[ READ: McConnell Acknowledges Biden Win ]
"I know we've all got our doubts about the last election," he said Monday afternoon at a rally in Georgia before the president's appearance. "I want to assure you, I share the concerns of the millions of Americans about voting irregularity. I promise you, come this Wednesday, we'll have our day in Congress, we'll hear the objections, we'll hear the evidence."
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The statement left much to be desired for Trump and his supporters, and on Tuesday afternoon there was some confusion over whether he might delegate his duties Wednesday to Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican and the current president pro tempore of the Senate, given the unabating pressure from Trump. If he doesn't, he'll be forced to acknowledge the challenges of his congressional colleagues, hear their debate and then dispense of them, since he lacks the legal authority to challenge or refuse the results himself.
Whether or not it's a calculated hit ahead of a potential 2024 run, in which Trump could come face-to-face with Pence in a primary, by the end of the week the vice president will likely count himself among the long list of Republicans who, in breaking with the president, quickly draw the ire of him and his army of supporters.
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"Let's be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there's a quick way to tap into the president's populist base without doing any real, long-term damage," Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, said in a statement earlier this week as his GOP colleagues began agreeing to challenge their state's certification. "But they're wrong – and this issue is bigger than anyone's personal ambitions. Adults don't point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government."
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Lauren Camera, Senior Education Writer
Lauren Camera is a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report. She joined the News team as an ... READ MORE
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Tags: Mike Pence, 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump, Electoral College