Mike Pence is getting dragged for saying Trump would 'never, ever penalize anyone for their religious beliefs'

Mike Pence at National Day of Prayer event
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Before President Trump announced a sweeping new "religious liberty" rule for health-care providers at Thursday morning's National Day of Prayer breakfast, Vice President Mike Pence teased the unveiling. "From early in this administration," he said, "President Trump has taken steps to ensure that the federal government will never, ever penalize anyone for their religious beliefs ever again."

First of all, what Trump is proposing is an executive branch rule that can be discarded or replaced by the next president, so "never, ever" seems a bit of a stretch. But more saliently — several people recalled in response to the White House tweet of Pence's remarks — one of the first things "this administration" did was try to effectively enact the "Muslim ban" Trump had promised as a presidential candidate. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee had good reason to remember this, as he noted:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.