On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence sent out a campaign message in which he referred to President Donald Trump as his “father,” Raw Story reported.
“We need you right now,” Pence began the message. “It’s going to take EVERY Patriot stepping up if we want to CRUSH Sleepy Joe’s dreams of turning America into a BIG GOVERNMENT SOCIALIST Nation.”
Afterward, Pence made a curious comment about Trump.
“I convinced my father to give you another chance, which is why he’s decided to EXTEND your PERSONAL 500%-MATCH OFFER FOR 1 MORE HOUR.”
According to NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny, the message’s curious language may suggest that the Trump campaign copy-and-pasted the writing from an ad previously attributed to one of the president’s sons. But as Raw Story noted, the title echoes a Rolling Stone report that suggested Pence refers to his wife, Karen, as “mother.”
According to the publication, Rep. Linda Lawson said Pence used the term during a dinner with Democratic legislators while he was governor of Indiana.
“Mother, Mother, who prepared our meal this evening?” Pence allegedly yelled to his wife at dinner.
Although Lawson told Rolling Stone she thought the reference might have been a joke, Pence allegedly used it again shortly after.
“Mother, Mother, whose china are we eating on?”
As reported by PolitiFact , Lawson said she had never heard a man call his spouse “mother” in her entire life. As the publication reported, a Pence aide denied reports that the vice president calls his wife as such.
Whether the vice president’s “father” reference was a mistake or not, many social media users took the opportunity to take a jab at him.
“Let’s face it, Trump has become Pence’s father,” one wrote.
“So now pence has mother and father issues,” another chimed in.
Others suggested that the purported mistake was a sign of the Trump re-election campaign’s lack of effort.
“It’s almost like they aren’t even trying anymore,” one user wrote.
First lady historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony notes that Pence would not be the only person in the executive branch to call his wife “mother.” Abraham Lincoln and Gerald Ford allegedly referred to their wives as “mother,” while Calvin Coolidge reportedly referred to his wife, Grace, as “mamma.” Most recently, Ronald Reagan called his wife, Nancy, “mommy.”
Pence’s relationship with Karen has come under the spotlight in the past, notably for his refusal to dine with other women without his wife present.
