Mike Pence tried to get GOP leaders to denounce Clinton's 'deplorables' comment, got no takers


On Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was on Capitol Hill, acting as an emissary for running mate Donald Trump to rally support from congressional Republicans for the GOP presidential ticket. Many elected Republicans have expressed skepticism of Trump, or are concerned that he will make their own re-election fights harder, and Pence did not appear to have much luck winning over holdouts. He denounced Hillary Clinton's comments that some of Trump's supporters fit in a "basket of deplorables," but, The New York Times notes, "in separate news conferences, House and Senate Republican leaders declined to join Mr. Pence... in rebuking Mrs. Clinton over her remark."
At a press conference with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Pence again declined to call former KKK grand wizard and Trump supporter David Duke "deplorable," saying testily that he and Trump don't want Duke's support or "the support of people who think like him," repeating that he's "not in the name-calling business" and won't "validate the language that Hillary Clinton used," and arguing that when Clinton said "deplorables" she "was not talking about that bad man."
Ryan, at the press conference, focused on his own proposals for the country, and after meeting Pence, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said through spokesman Conn Carroll that he told Pence he and Trump need to denounce the alt-right movement more forcefully and "that Republicans must identify David Duke's racism as deplorable." Neither Lee nor Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whom Pence also met with Tuesday, have endorsed Trump.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Generally, The New York Times reports, Pence was greeted warmly by his congressional colleagues, and when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) chided Pence and Trump for embracing "thug and a butcher" Vladimir Putin — according to a GOP official at the meeting — Pence reportedly insisted that he and the GOP presidential nominee were trying to belittle President Obama rather than praise the Russian president. Pence also assured colleagues, The Times says, that "Trump behaved differently in private, and even had a spiritual side."
At The Washington Post, columnist Dana Milbank judged it an "awkward" trip to Capitol Hill for Pence: "I've always thought him an honorable and amiable man, and I accept his friends' assessment that he took the job in hopes of changing Trump. Instead, it seems that Trump has changed him."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
The Chagos Islands: Starmer's 'lousy deal'
Talking Point The PM's adherence to 'legalism' has given Mauritius a 'gift from British taxpayers'
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges