Fact Check

Hecklers Shout 'Traitor' at Mike Pence

Pence refused to block the certification of U.S. President Joe Biden's electoral win, drawing anger from Trump supporters.

by Bethania Palma, Published June 18, 2021


Mike Pence

Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore


Claim:
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was heckled with chants of "traitor" during a speech in Florida in June 2021.
Rating:
True

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On June 18, 2021, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a religious conference in Orlando, Florida, where he was heckled by some audience members who shouted "traitor." The shouts could be heard in this video posted by Forbes reporter Andrew Solender:

"And I want to thank my friend [Faith and Freedom Coalition Chair] Ralph Reed for those overly generous words. I'm deeply humbled by them," Pence said, as the shouts of "traitor" started to ring out. Pence continued, despite the interruption: "Ralph Reed knows me well enough to know the introduction I prefer is a little bit shorter. I'm a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order, and I am honored to stand before you today."

The heckling was in turn drowned out by cheers.

Pence previously drew the intense anger of supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump when he carried out his vice presidential duties on Jan. 6. 2021, and certified the electoral win of Trump's rival, President Joe Biden.

In the ensuing deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, Trump supporters erected a makeshift gallows and chanted "hang Mike Pence" while they rampaged inside the building.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvT3j5G-Rk

The attack on the Capitol was incited by false claims by Trump and his supporters that the 2020 election was stolen by a mass-scale fraud conspiracy, even though no evidence of such a conspiracy was ever presented.


By Bethania Palma

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more


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