Mike Pence
Newsweek

As we trudge through the remaining several months of Donald Trump‘s first year in office there’s still several issues on the table that could very well further throw his Presidency in a tailspin. That’s right, for many out there who aren’t fans of the Trump era, things could absolutely get worse before they get better. However if things do get worse you’d think there would be an ever-growing chance Trump gets ousted from office before 2020 comes around. 2018 is going to be a pivotal election for the Trump presidency if the Democrats are able to seize control of the legislative branch in which case the notion of Donald Trump getting impeached and eventually removed from office becomes more of a possibility.

There’s also other scenarios that could result in Trump finding himself removed from office. For instance if the GOP were to stay in control but Trump continues to lambaste his own party could we see Republicans turn on their own President? I guess it’s possible but not as likely without any type of just cause in their eyes. Could that just cause come from some damning evidence by way of the Robert Mueller investigation into Russian election meddling?

Either way, 2018 is setting itself up for what could be intensely dramatic political theater.

But what if Trump is removed from office? What would a President Pence administration look like?

Jane Mayer’s latest in The New Yorker outlines exactly what that may look like and perhaps may have Trump critics picking their poison when it comes their thoughts on who would have the more volatile administration.

One interesting note from Meyer’s piece was what Trump jokingly said in regards to Pence’s stance on gay people in the United States.

“Trump thinks Pence is great,” Bannon told me. But, according to a longtime associate, Trump also likes to “let Pence know who’s boss.” A staff member from Trump’s campaign recalls him mocking Pence’s religiosity. He said that, when people met with Trump after stopping by Pence’s office, Trump would ask them, “Did Mike make you pray?” Two sources also recalled Trump needling Pence about his views on abortion and homosexuality. During a meeting with a legal scholar, Trump belittled Pence’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade. The legal scholar had said that, if the Supreme Court did so, many states would likely legalize abortion on their own. “You see?” Trump asked Pence. “You’ve wasted all this time and energy on it, and it’s not going to end abortion anyway.” When the conversation turned to gay rights, Trump motioned toward Pence and joked, “Don’t ask that guy—he wants to hang them all!”

Not that I believe Pence would want to hang gay people. But it’s no secret Pence is an enemy to the notion of equal rights when it comes to the LGBTQ community. I mean this is the same guy that said gay couples signaled a “societal collapse” and opposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in the workplace.

As far as Trump goes, Chelsea Clinton pointed out how said it was in today’s day and age for a President to joke around about hanging gay people.

Meyer’s write-up however didn’t end there. She highlighted how Trump didn’t seem to like Pence until the former Indiana governor complimented his golf game which is more believable now considering Trump’s childish nature than ever before.

Still, Trump remained wary. According to a former campaign aide, he was disapproving when he learned how little money Pence had. In 2004, the oil firm that Pence’s father had partly owned had filed for bankruptcy. Mike Pence’s shares of the company’s stock, which he had valued at up to a quarter of a million dollars, became worthless. In 2016, according to a campaign-finance disclosure form, Pence had one bank account, which held less than fifteen thousand dollars.

But in July Pence found a way to please Trump when he played golf with him at Trump’s club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Recognizing that Trump was susceptible to flattery, he told the media that Trump “beat me like a drum.”

Then there was the downfall of Chris Christie during the transition which resulted in the New Jersey governor getting spurned over for the VP gig and essentially having the rug pulled out from under him by Ivanka Trump when it came to Michael Flynn getting a high-ranking job in the White House. Needless to say we know how that turned out.

https://twitter.com/Anthony/status/919924029837971457

So who’s essentially better off for the left in this country? Meyer outlines a convincing piece where or which a Pence administration may work better with a GOP led congress and further push a conservative agenda. However though you’d have to believe Pence would be better for the United States and the World when it came to dealing with North Korea. At any rate we’re probably fucked on different levels until 2020 comes around.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR