Republican group urges senators to impeach Donald Trump so Mike Pence becomes homophobe-in-chief
Mike Pence has played a quiet role in many of the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT+ policies. (Drew Angerer/Getty)
Republicans are planning on running an advert on Fox News, urging senators to impeach Donald Trump so that Mike Pence becomes president.
Republican group Defending Democracy Together is telling GOP senators to vote to remove Trump from office in the new ad.
The group’s website features campaign slogans like “Pence: Well, I guess he’ll do” and “Pence: It could be worse” and says that Pence is a “bland, boring, completely typical, ordinary conservative Republican from Indiana.”
“If Donald Trump is removed from office Mike Pence — not Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton — becomes the president. And, you know, we could do worse,” Defending Democracy said.
The group added: “And if the Senate does its duty, they’ll make him the next president of the United States.”
Aside from their seemingly neutral feelings towards vice president Pence, the Republicans argue that they don’t need Trump in office to achieve their policy goals.
Now, they’ve put together a TV spot that is set to run on Fox News.
The ad compares Pence’s achievements to those of Trump: “Mike Pence doesn’t brag about sexually assaulting women. Mike Pence doesn’t pressure foreign governments into investigating his political rivals. Mike Pence doesn’t mock and make fun of people with handicaps.”
It’s not a strong argument, but it does appear to acknowledge that Trump and Pence are ideologically similar – Pence’s advantage is that he doesn’t have Trump’s baggage or chequered history. However, it’s unlikely to be effective in getting Trump removed from office.
But Defending Democracy’s ad is at odds with other Republicans, who have rallied behind Trump. Republican party leadership has impressed upon Republican senators that they are not to vote to remove Trump.
According to an anonymous source who spoke to CBS News, GOP senators were told: “Vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.”
