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


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."
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.
Of course, no one will care, or even remember this happened, weeks from now. Is it something as simple as a scheduling snafu? Was he, in fact, notified that he's been replaced by Ivanka Trump? Maybe the president just needed Pence to stay behind to wash a few tanks ahead of the Fourth of July parade? Let the conjecturing commence.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
August 24 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'