Mike Pence's political allies are watching two tracks for Pence as he battles a pandemic — one for Trump in 2020, and another for his own potential bid in 2024.
“The task force’s mission will no longer be in response to coronavirus, but on opening up America again,” said a senior White House official, adding that Pence has “truly loved” steering the government’s response to the deadly pandemic because it’s allowed him to bring “comfort, answers and transparency” to the American people.
“He’s been living and breathing this crisis 24/7 for three months and believes now is an appropriate time to let others take over,” said an administration official. The official added that Pence’s team is considering ways for him to refocus on the 2020 election without appearing insensitive to the reality that tens of millions of Americans remain out of work and thousands remain in mourning.
One triumph the vice president’s allies want him to lean into — as he continues to discuss the administration’s coronavirus efforts during interviews, official visits and eventual campaign events — is the public-private collaboration to produce personal protective equipment and ensure a steady supply of ventilators for the U.S. and other countries. While touring a ventilator production plant in his home state of Indiana last week, Pence repeatedly touted the U.S. ventilator surplus.
Of course, if Pence chooses to run in 2024, his coordination with governors is likely to attract less focus than both the administration’s early failures in responding to the coronavirus outbreak and the laundry list of eye-popping statements Trump has made about the severity of the virus and treatment options for those who contract it.
Regular news conferences by Trump and Pence over the course of the Covid-19 crisis have only magnified the vice president’s reluctance to contradict or correct the president, while intrexicably linking him to his exceptionally polarizing boss.Fast. Short. Daily. We take you behind the headlines and help you understand the biggest stories driving politics and policy.
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