Mike Pence is getting mocked online for an awkward moment where he called a woman asking him a question by the wrong name and then had a strange response.
“Independent voter” Andrea Barber-Dansby – who, like Pence, is from Indiana – asked Pence a question about reproductive rights at a CNN town hall event hosted by Jake Tapper following the release of Pence’s latest book.
“Barbara, thank you,” Pence started responding. “I represented Madison County in Congress for many years….”
“It’s Andrea,” she interrupted, smiling.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“It’s nice to see you,” Pence responded, and then he paused as she continued smiling.
That long pause – in a video that has been viewed over 1 million times just on Twitter – had the internet speculating about what was going through Pence’s head.
The way he says "nice to see you" after she corrects him like she's a different woman he's just now greeting 😂😂😂 https://t.co/uf172whfq4
— Martha Kelly (@MarthaKelly3) November 17, 2022
Pence's processor glitches hard after he gets her name wrong.
He needs a hard reset. https://t.co/saF3WymO3y
— Bryan Schott (@SchottHappens) November 17, 2022
You can hear the Former Vice Presidential Dial Tone through the entire pause echoing in his ear holes. https://t.co/tr6A7ioKXA
— John Ales AF (@IAmJohnAles) November 17, 2022
Clearly this robot hasn’t been programmed to memorize names… #embarrassing https://t.co/BXYwyRPA9r
— Guy Norman Bee (@guynormanbee) November 17, 2022
This guy is good https://t.co/Oi0gLyUIrH
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) November 17, 2022
Animatronic Ronald Reagan glitch https://t.co/I6Z3CQDuT3
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) November 17, 2022
The pause after she corrects him is wonderful. https://t.co/BbhwBw8gvH
— David A. Goodman (@DavidAGoodman) November 17, 2022
You look like a Barbara, are you sure your name is not Barbara
— Summer Mollo (@rsweetchaos613) November 17, 2022
Someone doesn't want an uppity woman correcting him.
Pence didn't apologize or even call her by her real name once she told it to him.
He made an easy, understandable mistake but he took no action to correct it.
It's insulting.— (((TallyAnnaE))) ☮️ (@TallyAnnaE) November 17, 2022
You can see he just has NO idea how to handle that.
He can't just say he's sorry and be warm with her. It's not in his nature.Wow.
— 🇺🇦 Hillary Vote Dec 6th (@the_amphibian) November 17, 2022
“Barbara, I’m telling mother you keep changing your name.”
— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) November 17, 2022
Thank you, Barbara
Andrea
No, Mike
Andrea
My name’s Mike, Barbara
No, your name’s Mike Pence
That’s what I said
You said Mike Barbara
Barbara…
Andrea
Mike— Pennybags (@NouveauBougee) November 17, 2022
the pause is perfect
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) November 17, 2022
The only Black woman he knows personally must be a woman named Barbara 🤔
— Marc X. Adams (@thegoodfello) November 17, 2022
— Matt Mitt (@mattmitt62) November 17, 2022
Along with Donald Trump – who has already announced his presidential bid – and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Pence is one of the most talked about possible 2024 contenders in the GOP. If all three of them do run, this could be one of the most anti-LGBTQ Republican primaries in a while.
Pence has a long history of attacking the LGBTQ community and working against LGBTQ equality, going back to 1992 when he said that being gay is “learned behavior” and his 2000 House campaign where he advocated federal funds for conversion therapy to fight HIV; continuing to his time in the House, when he opposed LGBTQ equality every chance he got; and most notably, as governor of Indiana, his mismanagement that led to the state’s worst HIV outbreak in history.