Former Vice President Mike Pence took to the stage on Sunday night to accept the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and delivered a not-so-subtle rebuke of his former boss without ever speaking his name.
Though Pence never mentioned ‘Donald Trump’, his remarks rang with pointed reminders about the Constitution and the rule of law only hours after Trump had answered questions about the Fifth Amendment in a TV interview.
Pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker on whether both U.S. citizens and noncitizens are entitled to due process, Trump shrugged: ‘I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.’
Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from the JFK Library Foundation for his refusal to go along with President Trump‘s efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.
Pence, hailed for upholding the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021, repeatedly invoked the Constitution during his 10-minute speech, framing it as the enduring bedrock of American unity.
Without naming Trump, Pence nodded toward the chaos of that day and the partisan fractures it exposed – both in the country and within the Republican Party.
In a moment that felt both personal and political he added, ‘By God’s grace I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.’
Former Vice President Mike Pence accepted the prestigious JFK Profile in Courage Award and delivered a not-so-subtle rebuke of his former boss without ever speaking his name
Pence’s comments came hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was asked whether US citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump was distinctly noncommittal
The award recognizes Pence ‘for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021,’ the JFK Library Foundation stated.
‘To forge a future together, we have to find common ground,’ Pence said.
‘I hope in some small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand. It’s what binds us across time and generations. It’s what makes us one people.’
His comments came just hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was asked whether US citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump was distinctly noncommittal.
While he avoided calling out the president directly, Pence did make several references to the current Trump administration.
Referencing what he called ‘these divided times, in these anxious days,’ he acknowledged that he probably had differences with the Democrats in the room.
But he also acknowledged splits with his own Republican Party ‘on spending, tariffs and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured.’
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and her son Jack Schlossberg present the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award to former US Vice President Mike Pence
When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to ‘hang Mike Pence’
Pence rejected Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared
Trump pressured Pence to reject election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud.
Pence refused, saying he lacked such authority. When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to ‘hang Mike Pence.’
Pence was whisked away by Secret Service agents, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters.
‘Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,’ Trump wrote at the time on X as rioters moved through the Capitol.
At the time, Pence was in hiding with his family, aides and security detail inside the building.
Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared.
In describing his role, Pence told the audience that ‘January 6 was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom. History will record that our institutions held,’ he said in his speech.
‘Leaders in both chambers, in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy’s work under the Constitution.’
On Sunday night, JFK´s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who along with his grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award, said Pence’s actions that day were a reminder that you cannot take democracy for granted.
Former Vice President Mike Pence arrives with his wife, Karen Pence, at the JFK Library where he received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Boston
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House after spending the weekend in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago residence
Violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington
‘At the time I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job,’ she said.
‘Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.’
The Profile in Courage Award, named for a book Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president, honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences.
Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.
Pence has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration.
His political action group, Advancing American Freedom, campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies.
He’s delivered speeches urging the president to stand with longtime foreign allies and posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, ‘He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.’
