Pence noted that after the sudden collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Jan. 2, those present in the stadium responded by praying for Hamlin. “I’ll always stand for the freedom of religion and the freedom of conscience of every person to believe or not to believe according to their own dictates,” said Pence, “but this is a nation of faith and we benefit every day by having men and women of faith in every level of public life.”
Jeffress agreed, saying, “Amen, that’s so true.”
The pastor then addressed what he called, the “second biggest elephant in the room today”—the events of Jan. 6, 2021. It is possible that Jeffress believed the biggest elephant in the room was the question of whether or not Pence intends to run for president in 2024. At one point, the pastor jokingly asked Pence if he had any announcement he wanted to share.
Jeffress observed that when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, some erected a gallows while chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” and he asked how Pence had had the courage to stay at the Capitol instead of flee.
“God’s grace sustained us on that day and in the tumultuous days before,” Pence replied. “It was the truth of his Word that kept me grounded.” He noted that he had been concerned about “voting irregularities” and believed that was an “important debate,” even though evidence of widespread fraud never materialized. Nevertheless, it was his duty to preside over the counting of electoral votes. Pence quoted Ps. 15:4, which describes someone who fears God as someone who “keeps an oath even when it hurts.”
“I know something about that,” said Pence. He also referenced Isaiah 26:3, which says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
“I would tell you in the midst of all of that, I had peace,” he said.
Jeffress told the former vice president, “Thank you for your courage and integrity that you exhibited on that day. You know, our Capitol police, they protected the Capitol. But Mike Pence protected our Constitution. God bless you, sir, for doing that.”
As the conversation concluded, Jeffress told Pence it appears that Christians are losing the culture war. “Is there any hope for America?” he asked.
Pence replied that his opinion of Americans has only improved over the past 20 years. During his time in office, particularly traveling the country in the aftermath of natural disasters, Pence said, “I saw the goodness and the generosity of the American people. I saw the faith lived out of the American people, and I truly do believe that this is a great nation…Our challenge in the days ahead is just to have a government as good as our people again. And I believe we will.”
