In an op-ed published by The Hill on Saturday, Conservative columnist Douglas McKinnon suggested that Vice President Mike Pence is preparing to assume the presidency of the United States, or resign.
McKinnon stated that “since his selection as Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence has been mired in the throes of PTSD (President Trump Stress Disorder.)”
“Pence seems to have a terminal case of whiplash as he snaps his head around time and again to witness the next shoe dropping, about or from the president,” McKinnon writes.
He continues: “The fact is, no vice president in recent memory has had to deal with the daily uncertainty that swirls around Pence: the impeachment of his boss, the barrage of investigations, the accusations against Trump.”
“Add to the mix of these challenging scenarios the fact that there is open talk among some Republicans that unless Pence is replaced by someone else of stature — such as frequently mentioned former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley — Trump may well be the last Republican president for the foreseeable future.”
“Pence undoubtedly knew he must be prepared to step into the presidency immediately” in case of the death of the president tor resignation, McKinnon writes.
“Now, Pence is navigating something dramatically removed from the basics — a world where meetings behind closed doors, whispered conversations, promised new positions and suspect loyalties are the norm. It’s an atmosphere you’d expect to find created by murder mystery author Agatha Christie or Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli more so than our Founding Fathers.”
This never-ending stream of scandals engulfing the Trump administration “will cause Pence to decline to serve as vice president in a second term and opt for a private sector life of normalcy,” McKinnon concluded.
