Pence Reportedly Intended To Copy Trump's Lines In A Speech — Ironically In An Effort To Set Himself Apart

Former Vice President Mike Pence‘s prepared speech for New Hampshire this week contained parts directly lifted from his former boss, Donald Trump's, previous address. 

What Happened: The prepared remarks intended for Pence’s speech at the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy were found to contain passages taken from Trump's speech from almost four years ago. However, Pence ultimately did not deliver the specific lines in question during his speech, Politico reported. 

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Pence was set to declare the following: "If we want our families and communities to prosper, America must be the best place on earth to work, invest, innovate, build, master a trade, or start a business. We want companies to move to America, stay in America, and hire American workers."

The two-sentence passage bears a striking resemblance to the words spoken by Trump during a speech at the New York Economic Club on Nov. 2019, as per the archived transcript of his remarks from the White House.

The report added that Pence's and his former boss's speeches also diverged after that specific passage. "We want every American to be able to afford their American dreams," Pence said in his prepared remarks.

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While Trump in 2019 had said, "My mission is to put our country on the very best footing to thrive, excel, compete and to win."

Why It Matters: The similarity in Pence's prepared remarks came as the former VP aimed to portray himself as a Republican figure predating the Trump era. During his speech, Pence explicitly addressed certain policy distinctions that distinguished him from the Trump administration, such as expressing criticism of their “overspending.”

Although Pence has not officially announced his presidential bid, the potential Republican candidate is set to enter the crowded field for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and said he will announce his decision "well before late June."

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