Mike Pence just bet everything on a hand he can’t win

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When Mike Pence washed out as Governor of Indiana, his political career was dead, until Donald Trump single handedly made him Vice President of the United States. So it made sense early on that Pence was cartoonishly loyal to Trump. Even recently, as Trump has faced impeachment, obviously declining cognitive abilities, and a pandemic he can’t handle, it made some morbid sense for Pence to remain loyal and stick around long enough to perhaps inherit the presidency.

But now we’re looking something very different here. It turns out Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago party last weekend was a petri dish for the coronavirus. Three attendees have now tested positive. There’s photographic proof that Trump and Pence both physically interacted with at least one of the patients. Everyone who attended that event is now at grave risk. Even attendees with only half a brain, like Lindsey Graham, are self quarantining just in case. Then there’s Mike Pence.

Yesterday we saw Donald Trump and Mike Pence stand on stage together, right there in amongst the public. We get that Donald Trump is so psychologically defective, he can’t admit he’s been exposed, so he can’t bring himself to be quarantined or tested. But what is Mike Pence doing? Even if he has gotten himself tested while Trump wasn’t looking, the reality is that Pence is standing there right next to a probably-infected Trump. If Pence didn’t catch it before, he could catch it now.

Mike Pence, who is in his sixties, is literally risking his life. Personal loyalty to your kingmaker only goes so far. What is Pence doing? His logical move would be to quarantine himself, get tested, and try to survive to inherit the tail end of this presidency if Trump drops dead from the virus. Instead Pence is still out there playing Trump’s deadly game. What is Trump holding over this guy’s head? Pence would apparently rather die than risk Trump’s wrath, which is scary.