Mike Pence made an appearance at the Iowa State Fair where he was met by hecklers suggesting he is a “traitor” and had a Q&A session turn into an argument between his and Donald Trump’s supporters.
The incidents may signal a very contentious battle between the two candidates brewing in the Hawkeye State, even if not in the polls.
Video emerged showing Pence walking through the fairgrounds Thursday as a man shouts, “Trump 2024!” while sporting a Team Trump t-shirt.
Shortly thereafter, a particularly obnoxious woman begins shouting “MAGA!” and “Pence is a traitor!”
She added her displeasure with Pence using the phrase “higher power” and claimed he is not a true Christian.
Some Trump supporters heckle Mike Pence as he arrives to a radio interview at the State Fair. “Pence is a traitor!” one yells. Appears like they were waiting for him. pic.twitter.com/0SDwI7d9d5
— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) August 10, 2023
RELATED: Pence Hilariously Pretends To Fill His Truck With Gas Like The Common Folk In New Campaign Ad
Hecklers Taunt Mike Pence as a Traitor
Shortly after being heckled as a “traitor” by one woman and hit with a “Trump 2024” squeak from another person, Mike Pence was again confronted during a Q&A session at the Iowa State Fair.
“Why did you commit treason on January 6 and not stand by President Trump?” one person sporting a Red Sox t-shirt asked.
The comment prompted boos from the crowd, while one Pence supporter stood up, clearly disgusted by the assertion.
Turning and pointing to the questioner he sternly replied, “I am a veteran buddy. You shut your mouth!”
Another audience member poured salt in the wounds shouting, “And the Red Sox suck!” which, while true, should be noted that Iowa doesn’t even have an MLB team and their most famous field is a fake one created for a Kevin Costner film.
Oh, and at least they’re not as bad as the Yankees.
“Why did you commit treason on Jan. 6?” man asks Mike Pence at State Fair. Another man shouts the questioner down. Pence responds: pic.twitter.com/8ochbfyolu
— Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) August 10, 2023
To his credit, Pence actually fielded the question, which he called “fair.”
“Look, let me take you to January 20th, 2017,” he said. “I put my left hand on Ronald Reagan’s Bible and I raised my right hand and I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and it ended with a prayer, ‘so help me God.'”
“My son, who’s a captain in the United States Marine Corps reminded me one time that it’s the exact same oath that he took,” Pence continued. “It was a promise I made to the American people, it was a promise I made to almighty God.”
The former Vice President then delivered a lengthy explanation as to why he thinks the Constitution does not allow him to do as Trump requested that day.
Pence has repeatedly run into a problem with hecklers on the campaign trail.
Trump supporters shouting “traitor” and “sellout” at a Mike Pence event yesterday.
“I upheld the constitution,” Pence shouted back.
This primary is not just going to be ugly. It is going to be an all-out GOP civil war. pic.twitter.com/IiXtwCH0Hr
— Ben Kew ?️♂️ (@ben_kew) August 5, 2023
RELATED: Pence’s Former NatSec Adviser Endorses Trump – Says His Old Boss Is ‘Unworthy Of The Presidency’
Pence’s Campaign Isn’t Going So Well
Hecklers shouting “traitor” is yet another bump in the road for a campaign that is really struggling to gain any traction for Mike Pence.
Pence was exposed rather harshly last month when he sparred with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his Ukraine-first approach and had to immediately clarify his remarks.
Tucker: “Every city in America has become worse over the past few years… Your concern is that Ukraine don’t have enough tanks… Where’s the concern for America in that?”
Pence: “That’s not my concern.” pic.twitter.com/u2RlmmrhtM
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 14, 2023
Pence would later suggest the clip was taken out of context and that when suggesting it wasn’t his “concern,” he was actually referencing tanks in Ukraine.
Then, while clearly struggling with convincing Trump supporters of his legitimacy as a contender to take on President Biden, Pence fumbled his response to Trump’s indictment stemming from January 6th.
No Mike. That’s not what it shows. Did you read these charges? They’ve nothing to do with the Constitution. This is a shameful statement. https://t.co/x5Qn5pDIHt
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) August 2, 2023
More recently, he looked like a liberal buffoon trying to gas up their Tesla in a campaign ad where he pretended to use a gas pump.
Lmao
Some consultant told Mike Pence it would be a good idea to pretend to gas up a pickup Truck for a campaign video
The pump is literally beeping the entire video with the “select fuel type” message ?pic.twitter.com/ftoeLauthr
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) August 8, 2023
Pence’s campaign announced that he has qualified for the first Republican presidential primary debate, which is scheduled for later this month.
The race in Iowa is a little tighter than nationally, with a recent poll there showing Trump leading the pack at 44%. Pence gets 3% in that same poll, trailing Ron DeSantis (20%), Tim Scott (9%), Vivek Ramaswamy (5%), and Nikki Haley (4%).
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