Former Vice President Mike Pence receives JFK Profile in Courage Award
On Sunday, May 4, former Vice President Mike Pence was awarded the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021. Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of former president John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Jack Schlossberg, grandson of JFK and Jackie, presented the award to Pence at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a crowd of rioters attempting to stop a joint session of Congress from certifying the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election. At the time, Mike Pence was overseeing the counting of those votes and was being pressured by outgoing president Donald Trump NOT to certify those votes – pressures that Pence ignored.
Pence refused when Trump repeatedly pressured him to overturn the results of the 2020 election, fraying the relationship between the two men. Pence was presiding as Congress counted Electoral College votes to certify Joe Biden’s victory when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The vice president, his wife, Karen; and his daughter, Charlotte, remained in the Capitol while police beat back the rioters, and Pence later oversaw the election’s certification. ~ CNN
Statement from Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg:
“Political courage is not outdated in the United States. At every level of government, leaders are putting country first, and not backing down.
Despite our political differences, it is hard to imagine an act of greater consequence than Vice President Pence’s decision to certify the 2020 presidential election during an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Upholding his oath to the Constitution and following his conscience, the Vice President put his life, career, and political future on the line.
His decision is an example of President Kennedy’s belief that an act of political courage can change the course of history.”
Statement from Vice President Pence:
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be the recipient of the Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past.”
Despite extraordinary pressure to single-handedly overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mike Pence stood firm in his commitment to democracy and ensured the constitutionally mandated transfer of power. On January 6, 2021, as the presidential election certification process unfolded, a violent mob determined to halt the certification stormed the U.S. Capitol and openly threatened Pence. While the Secret Service urged him to evacuate, Pence chose to remain at the Capitol, coordinating with military and Congressional leaders during the attack. Once the Capitol was cleared, Pence resumed the certification process, confirming the election results and demonstrating his resolve to uphold his constitutional duty.
Below, watch as former Vice President Mike Pence receives the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his refusal to go along with President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in office – after Trump lost the 2020 election. See the video.
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Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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