Karen Pence was reportedly so mad at Trump's election she refused to kiss Mike Pence


Mother didn't like this.
Vice President Mike Pence is pretty darn close with his wife Karen Pence, the woman he reportedly calls "mother" and refuses to meet other women alone without. But when Pence buddied up with President Trump, whom Karen Pence reportedly despised, her displeasure culminated in the ultimate diss on Election Night 2016, Tom LoBianco reports in his forthcoming book Piety and Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House.
It's been reported before that Karen Pence was not thrilled with her husband joining Trump on the campaign trail. Things got even worse with Trump's Access Hollywood scandal, with Karen Pence reportedly telling her husband that she wouldn't appear in public anymore if he continued running alongside 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.
Mike Pence obviously didn't let that threat get to him, but when Trump was eventually elected, Karen Pence reportedly still wasn't happy. "You got what you wanted, Mike," she reportedly told him that November night. She refused to kiss him, and said "leave me alone," Peter Baker details in The New York Times' review of LoBianco's book. Read more of LoBianco's reporting here.
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
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Where will international students go if not the US?
Talking Points China, Canada and the UK are ready to educate the world
-
5 electrifying books to read this June to spark your imagination
The Week Recommends A love story set in space, a pair of ambitious debuts and more
-
The New World screwworm is making a deadly comeback
The explainer The parasite is spreading quickly
-
A running list of all the celebrities Trump has pardoned
IN DEPTH Reality stars, rappers and disgraced politicians have received some of the high-profile pardons doled out by the president
-
'The pattern is similar across America'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
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
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges
-
Trump's super-charged pardon push raises eyebrows and concerns
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Never shy about using his pardon ability for political leverage, Trump's spate of amnesty announcements suggests the White House is taking things to a new level
-
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