![]() ![]() ![]() Ironically, Karen has had to move the other way, toward an image that feels more modern. Political spouses have often gone through redefinitions, perhaps none more famous than the 1992 effort to remake Hillary Clinton’s image from one of career woman to something more family-oriented. But a few days later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment investigation into Trump, and suddenly the chatter of removing Pence from the ticket seemed not just trivial, but perhaps even suicidal, with congressional investigators bearing down. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump had been floating the idea of replacing Mike on the ticket for a few months (something they deny), and my book detailed new information about Karen’s powerful role in Mike’s life that even Trump’s vetting team hadn’t picked up on-for instance, her hidden hand in driving an expansion of Medicaid while Mike was governor. The move had the effect of silencing hostile factions in the White House, who had feared that while Mike could laugh off Trump’s foul mouth and philandering, Karen still came off like a “scold,” one Washington Republican noted. Here, her new look was notable: an understated black dress and pearls, while making a direct appeal to the camera to vote Trump. On September 21-three days before the publication of my book-Karen unveiled a new Twitter account, and a video message saying she was ready to stand firmly behind Trump in his reelection bid. Mike tweeted perfunctory photos of their meeting with King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, and Twitter trolls laced into Karen over her outfit: her dress was too short, they said, and it was scandalous to see an older woman bare her shoulders. ![]() (Their first 12 years in Washington had been spent in a relative bubble in Arlington, Virginia, where they raised their three school-aged children.) When beltway power-watchers chattered about the dissonance between an ex-model first lady and a Midwestern wife, the Pences largely took it in stride-until the king and queen of Jordan visited them in June 2018. Meanwhile, the Pences adjusted to being back in D.C., this time in the limelight. Trump’s advisers gradually picked up on what Indiana politicos had long known: that there was only one person in Mike’s inner circle, and she could make or break an idea, multiple sources told me for my Mike Pence biography, Piety and Power. To Trumpworld, that was particularly dangerous considering her role as unofficial chief adviser and gatekeeper to the vice president. That wouldn’t be odd in a normal administration, but Trump demands complete loyalty, and Karen’s seclusion reinforced the belief among some Trump advisers that she wasn’t on their team. Once inside the administration, Karen largely kept to herself, multiple sources said, working on favorite issues such as art therapy and relief for the spouses of active military personnel and veterans. One longtime Trump adviser told me Pence’s run for the White House starts the day after the 2020 election. But longtime Indiana Republicans who’ve known the Pences for decades say it’s all part of their long game to win the White House, perhaps in 2024-a topic of increasing speculation as Mike Pence takes more campaign-style trips to battleground states, including a bus tour of Michigan this week. Pence’s spokeswoman, Kara Brooks, declined requests for comment, and other Pence advisers, who protect Pence fiercely, declined to talk about her new image. “She looks like she’s happy, she radiates confidence.” A veteran Republican operative close to the Trump White House said he hadn’t noticed the change until I brought it up, but on review said it looked like she was growing into the role of second lady: “She had kind of a subdued country presence before, now she has more of a stateswoman look.” “She really has had a total makeover, she looks great,” a Pence family friend told me. Pence, I love how you’ve updated your look,” one commenter wrote. In a video posted to her daughter Charlotte Pence’s Instagram account in October, Pence appears in a double-breasted dress with gold buttons and a cinched belt. The shift has been subtle, but it hasn’t gone unremarked. Her business-casual outfits have been traded up for sleek pantsuits and streamlined skirts. She’s grown out her bob and straight-across bangs in favor of longer locks. Quietly, almost imperceptibly, Karen Pence has begun to change. ![]()
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