Trump and Pence are misaligned politically, too. Trump campaigned as an unorthodox outsider, but Pence is a doctrinaire ideologue. Kellyanne Conway, the White House counsellor, who became a pollster for Pence in 2009, describes him as a full-spectrum conservative on social, moral, economic, and defense issues. Pence leans so far to the right that he has occasionally echoed A.C.L.U. arguments against government overreach; he has, for instance, supported a federal shield law that would protect journalists from having to identify whistle-blowers. According to Bannon, Pence is the outreach guy, the connective tissue between the Trump Administration and the most conservative wing of the Republican establishment. Trumps got the populist nationalists, Bannon said. But Pence is the base. Without Pence, you dont win.
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Trump thinks Pence is great, Bannon told me. But, according to a longtime associate, Trump also likes to let Pence know whos boss. A staff member from Trumps campaign recalls him mocking Pences religiosity. He said that, when people met with Trump after stopping by Pences 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 Pences 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. Youve wasted all this time and energy on it, and its not going to end abortion anyway. When the conversation turned to gay rights, Trump motioned toward Pence and joked, Dont ask that guyhe wants to hang them all!
