Former Vice President Mike Pence will receive the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Bravery Award for validating the 2020 electoral outcomes following the riots at the U.S. Capitol, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced on Thursday.
Then-vice president to President Donald Trump During his initial term, Pence validated former PresidentDonaldTrump Joe Biden as the victor of the 2020 election even though Trump pressured him to discard the results during the certification process On January 6, 2021, when Trump’s followers stormed the Capitol.
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, along with her son Jack Schlossberg, released a statement indicating that the organization had decided to reject Mike Pence due to his behavior being "a prime example of" President Kennedy’s conviction that a bold political gesture has the potential to alter the trajectory of history.
Pence will be presented with the award by Kennedy and Schlossberg at the Kennedy Library in Boston on May 4th.
Even with our differing political views, it's challenging to overstate the impact of Vice President Pence's choice to certify the 2020 presidential election amid the assault on the U.S. Capitol," stated the mother and her child. "By adhering to his pledge to the Constitution and listening to his moral compass, the Vice President risked not only his safety but also his professional standing and future in politics.
On that day, protesters shouted "Hang Mike Pence," and a hangman's noose was displayed on a crude gallows near the Capitol building.
In the press release, Pence expressed that he felt "profoundly humbled and honored."
"I've drawn inspiration from President John F. Kennedy's life and words since my early years, and I feel privileged to be counted among the numerous esteemed Americans who have previously received this honor," he stated.
The Kennedys also stated in their announcement that "political bravery has not become obsolete in the U.S."
"At all levels of government, leaders are prioritizing their nation and standing firm," they further stated.
The Kennedys stated that Pence’s "choice exemplifies President Kennedy's conviction that acts of political bravery have the potential to alter the trajectory of history."
The accolade arrives as Pence’s previous employer attempts to exert influence over educational bodies and international administrations via tariffs and cuts in governmental financing, among other tactics.
Pence criticized Trump's tariffs in a posting on Twitter on Wednesday. writing The Trump Tariff Tax represents the biggest tax increase in times of peace in U.S. history. These tariffs are almost tenfold compared to those enforced under the Trump-Pence administration and will amount to an annual expense exceeding $3,500 for each American family.
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award has been bestowed annually since 1989 upon "public officials who have demonstrated brave choices of moral integrity regardless of personal or career repercussions."
In 2024, the prize was awarded to the Republican Secretary of State of Kentucky Michael Adams, for "advancing voter rights and advocating for unbiased and equitable electoral processes against partisan resistance."
After Pence declined to comply with Trump’s insistence on discarding the results of the 2020 election, which Trump had lost, he has been shunned by both Trump and the broader Republican Party.
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