‘Be Like Donald Trump’: Mike Pence Gives Stirring Speech To Graduates
Breitbart reports that Vice President Mike Pence has given a speech to the 2017 graduates of Grove City College, encouraging them to expect criticism as they chase their dreams, and to deal with it the way “his friend, the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald Trump” did.
Pence told the graduates that for an example of courage they should look no further than Trump.
Shortly after winning the election Donald Trump told the gathered crowd “boy this was tough. This politics business is nasty and it’s tough.”
The president was routinely attacked and mocked by the pro-Hillary New York media throughout his campaign and was targeted by enemies who dug up information about his treatment of women, his tax payments, and his business dealings.
Donald Trump even appeared to be undermined by those who put together the election result prediction figures. Right up to the moment of Trump’s win, the media were circulating numbers that suggested Hillary Clinton enjoyed an overwhelming lead.
A famous diagram reproduced at the Daily Wire shows the Clinton blue line dropping rapidly and the Trump red line rising on election night as Americans finally voted and insiders were forced to adjust their “predictions.”
Many now believe those predictions were either totally bogus (based on entirely-fabricated figures), or calculated using an unrepresentative sample of the population, perhaps a small, self-selected group of liberals.
[T]he New York Times’ graph of their projected electoral vote [count] dramatically shifted over the course of the evening, eventually reaching a 306 to 232 win for Trump.
Former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos told his supporters that “the polls were so rigged the New York media even had to invent a term, ‘enthusiasm gap,’ to explain why no one was going to Hillary’s rallies even when she pulled celebrities up, while Daddy [Donald Trump] had thousands [of people attending his rallies].”
Pence stood by Trump’s side as VP throughout the difficult campaign, praising his running-mate for his confidence, independence and strength.
Now, Pence has told the graduating class from Grove College to expect both honor and opposition as they pursue their dreams.
“Leadership brings both honor and opposition. Anyone who dreams big will encounter those who think small, anyone who dares to step forward will find those who’d rather stay put. And anyone who thinks they can will always hear from those who are sure they can’t.”
Pence’s speech included a quote from a commencement address Trump gave last week at Liberty University. The president said, “Nothing worth doing ever came easy. Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the courage to do what’s right.”
Pence encouraged the graduates to be strong and never fear criticism. The avowed Christian spoke about how important it is to have the humility to listen to criticism. However, he added that the most important thing, in the end, is to “push through it.”
“Don’t fear criticism. Have the humility to listen to it, learn from it and most importantly, push through it. Persistence is the key. Never quit on your dreams. Dreams may be deferred by they must never be abandoned.”
Pence spoke about some of the adversities he has overcome in his own life.
The VP recounted how he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress more than once. He stressed the importance of holding on to your dream and persisting in the face of setbacks.
“Never let it go,” said Pence.
Pence was eventually successful and served in Congress then as governor of Indiana, and now as vice president of the United States.
“That dream came back around,” he said, recalling the false starts. “Hold on to your calling. Never let it go.”
[Featured Image by Alex Brandon/AP Images]
