The White House is staying mum, won't say why Pence's New Hampshire trip was abruptly canceled

(Image credit: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images)

published 3 July 2019

We know three things for sure: Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to go to New Hampshire on Tuesday, the trip was abruptly called off, and he instead went to the White House for a brief meeting with President Trump. Everything else about the sudden cancelation is a mystery.

Pence got as far as boarding Air Force Two, but never left Washington, D.C., his press secretary, Alyssa Farah, tweeted. "Something came up that required the VP to stay in DC," she added. "We'll reschedule NH shortly." While she wouldn't say what forced Pence to remain in Washington, Farah did say it was "no cause for alarm."

Farah tried to downplay whatever was going on, but the vice president's chief of staff, Marc Short, grabbed a stick and started stirring the speculation soup. Short told ABC News it was "not a national security issue," although it was important enough for Pence and Trump to discuss "the issue briefly." It had nothing to do with Pence's health or his family, Short continued, before declaring, "There will be more later." When? "Weeks from now."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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