A video of former Republican Vice President Mike Pence getting a voter's name wrong at a CNN town hall has been viewed more than 1.5 million times after the deliciously awkward moment went viral.
After a voter named Andrea Barber-Dansby asked a question, Pence got her name wrong and was forced to take a long pause after Barber-Dansby corrected him for calling her "Barbara."
Barber-Dansby who is from Indiana—the state which Pence presided over as Governor from 2013 to 2017—asked Pence about reproductive rights and whether reproductive freedoms secured from Roe v. Wade should continue.
Pence said:
"Barbara, thank you, I represented Madison County in Congress for many years."
Barber-Dansby corrected Pence to say her name is actually "Andrea," to which Pence quickly replied, "Nice to see you," before pausing and looking away.
You can watch the moment below.
\u201cPence: Barbara thank you\nAndrea: Andrea\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1668654661
The moment quickly went viral, exposing Pence to significant mockery online.
\u201cTotally ignoring the situation & hoping it goes away. Seems on brand.\u201d— Kathryn (@Kathryn) 1668735040
\u201cThere really isn\u2019t a lot going on behind those cold soulless eyes, is there?!\u201d— Myles Davies (@Myles Davies) 1668720580
\u201cHe almost seemed lifelike. Until that glitch caused him to reboot.\u201d— Warren Leight (@Warren Leight) 1668694861
\u201cYou can hear the Former Vice Presidential Dial Tone through the entire pause echoing in his ear holes.\u201d— John Ales AF (@John Ales AF) 1668662051
\u201cClearly this robot hasn\u2019t been programmed to memorize names\u2026 #embarrassing\u201d— Guy Norman Bee (@Guy Norman Bee) 1668672189
\u201c#Pence2024 off to a great start\u201d— Brian Frydenborg masthead.social/@bfry1981# (@Brian Frydenborg masthead.social/@bfry1981#) 1668710073
\u201cTotally vacant, probably didn\u2019t even notice the correction.\u201d— Resist MAGA @All Costs! (@Resist MAGA @All Costs!) 1668714143
\u201cIf you haven\u2019t winced yet today, here\u2019s your opportunity.\u201d— Paul Gundlach (@Paul Gundlach) 1668673149
\u201c\u201cNice to see you.\u201d And oh, by the way, I\u2019ve already dismissed you in my mind.\u201d— Sheree Morrow (@Sheree Morrow) 1668693471
Pence's appearance at the CNN town hall was notable in that he refused to commit his support to former Republican President Donald Trump, who this week announced he would campaign for the White House in 2024.
Pence said there would be “better choices” on the ballot in two years—repeating a response he gave to ABC News about how he and his family are giving "prayerful consideration" to whether he should run himself—and said he believes "it’s time for new leadership in this country that will bring us together around our highest ideals.”
He also spoke about the events of January 6, 2021, the day a mob of Trump's supporters attacked the United States Capitol on the false premise the 2020 general election had been stolen, calling it the “most difficult day of my public life.”
Pence has long appeared to play both sides, on one hand condemning the former President for pushing the "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was fraudulent, while on the other accusing Democrats of not advocating for election integrity.
This time, he broke with Trump once again, telling CNN's Jake Tapper that he believes "that we did our duty that day upholding the Constitution of the United States and the laws of this country and the peaceful transfer of power.”
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