Mike Pence Is Already Cashing In on His Potential 2024 Run

Pence additionally continues to carry a robust base of assist amongst evangelical voters and social conservatives. And that could be sufficient to hold him to the Republican primaries, even when Trump does run. That, in fact, is the large if—the query forcing the 2024 GOP area to stay to the shadows. “I believe all people has to acknowledge that if Trump runs, he’s most definitely to win the nomination,” McIntosh mentioned. 

“Balancing Trump with the remainder of the Republican voters is changing into a excessive artwork,” mentioned one former Trump marketing campaign aide holding tabs on Pence. “Take a look at [Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn] Youngkin: You may’t embrace Trump and you may’t ignore him. It is advisable have the most effective of each worlds, and with Trump, he received’t allow you to.”

Different Republicans see a easy ploy to earn a living within the ex-vice president’s current maneuvers, and applaud Pence for lastly cashing in after 20 years in public workplace. “Why else would somebody be paying him $100k to come back communicate?” mentioned a second veteran Republican strategist. “There’s no query the presidential race is driving his talking charges.”

In current months Pence has maintained a rapid-fire schedule, traversing the nation and even going worldwide. He and his spouse flew to Alaska to help Franklin Graham’s Christian charity outfit in July, ministering to wounded veterans. And he flew to Hungary last month to headline a gathering of right-wing Christian leaders and activists. (The rise of Christian nationalism in Hungary has infatuated conservative thought leaders within the U.S., not least one-man message machine Tucker Carlson.) A spokesman didn’t say if Pence was paid for the occasions. 

Pence rallied assist for Faulkner University, a Christian school in Alabama, initially of this month. And he’ll obtain a public service award from Ashland University on the finish of this month. Spokespeople for each faculties declined to say how a lot they paid Pence to attend, however a speaking-industry veteran mentioned it’s typical for former prime White Home officers, together with former presidents, vice presidents, and secretaries of state, to tug in between $100,000 and $200,000 per speech.

A Pence spokesman declined a number of requests for remark for this story. 

In March, Mike Pence signed on with the Worldwide Audio system Group, dwelling to a lot of former Trump administration officers parlaying their time in workplace into laborious money. Mike and Karen Pence are each listed as unique audio system with the group, together with former Trump protection secretary Mark Esper, former Trump nationwide safety adviser Robert O’Brien, and a bunch of different ex-Trump administration officers. Cashing in on the talking circuit is previous hat for politicos, and Republican strategists who spoke with Self-importance Truthful famous that remaining related as a doable White Home contender helps preserve charges excessive. 

By comparability, different 2024 hopefuls pull down a lot much less. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie earns between $35,000 and $45,000 per speech, in keeping with a speaking-industry supply. The supply famous that talking charges for politicos of all stripes are down considerably within the age of Trump, when conferences and faculties are shying away from controversial figures. It’s a far cry from only a few years earlier than Trump stormed the nationwide stage. Former first girl, senator, and secretary of state Hillary Clinton reportedly commanded $225,000 per gig heading into the 2016 election cycle. Even Trump himself, who floated his identify as a presidential contender for 3 many years earlier than diving in, apparently averaged $117,000 per speech. The one exception appears to be former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who beforehand requested a talking price of $200,000 and the price of reserving a personal airplane, in keeping with the {industry} supply.

A Haley spokeswoman didn’t return a request for remark; Christie didn’t return a textual content message in search of remark. 

The Pences have lengthy flirted with top-tier earnings however have suffered monetary setbacks all through their lives, a phenomenon I detailed in my biography of the previous veep. Forward of his first run for Congress, the Pences misplaced almost $1 million in a pair of unhealthy investments via an previous school good friend. Just a few years later, throughout his marketing campaign, Pence began paying his residing bills from his marketing campaign account—one thing that may assist sink his second congressional bid and preserve him on the sidelines for near a decade. Virtually 20 years later, he misplaced upwards of $600,000 in inventory when his household oil firm went belly-up.