Mike Pence calls Donald Trump a fake Christian in withering joke

Mike Pence has been loyal to Donald Trump ever since he was announced as his running mate in 2016, refusing to turn on Trump even after Trump sent a mob to Congress chanting for Pence’s death. But that might be changing as the two face off in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Pence – who observers believed was brought onto the 2016 GOP ticket to shore up support from Evangelical Christians considering Trump’s lack of credibility when it comes to piety – made some jokes at Gridiron Club dinner last week about how much Trump reads the Bible.

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“I once invited President Trump to Bible study,” Pence said. “He really liked the passages about the smiting and perishing of thine enemies. As he put it, ‘Ya know, Mike, there’s some really good stuff in here.’”

He then joked about the August 2022 FBI search of Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago for classified documents that Trump allegedly kept illegally after his presidency ended.

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“I read that some of those classified documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually stuck in the president’s Bible… which proves he had absolutely no idea they were there,” Pence said.

Pence is widely believed to be running for president in 2024, and Trump has already announced his campaign.

That Trump was able to keep the loyalty of Evangelical Christian voters for two elections despite his multiple divorces, his New York City playboy lifestyle, and the lack of evidence of church-going or prayer is a bit of a mystery to some commentators. Pence appears to be trying to drive a wedge between Trump and the GOP’s more religious voters, who may be looking for a Republican candidate who opposes LGBTQ+ and women’s rights but who is a more credible Christian.

The Gridiron Club dinner is the same event where Pence made a gay joke about out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg caring for his sick children.