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Mike Pence has flatly denied rumors and reports he is preparing to succeed President Donald Trump as the 46th president of the United States.

But that didnt stop Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, from coining a potentially prophetic nickname for the vice president.

Scaramucci revealed that, during his brief stint in the White House, he referred to Pence by the nickname 46a clear reference to the next POTUS.

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Im probably not allowed to say this, but I do have a nickname for the vice president, said Scaramucci during a nearly 52-minute Q&A session broadcast live on Periscope on Sunday.

Hes going to be mad at me for telling you guys, but my nickname for the vice president is 46, so that will give you a sense for how much I like the vice president.

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence acknowledges the crowd as he walks onstage to deliver a speech on the third day of the Republican Convention on July 20, 2016. John Moore/Getty

Scaramucci did not elaborate on whether he thought Pence would succeed Trump in the 2020 election or whether the former Indiana governor would take over should Trump resign or be forced to step down before the end of his term.

Related: Could Mike Pence be the next president? How Gerald Ford picked up the pieces after Nixon

Scaramucci also said that Pence was the first person in the West Wing that he apologized to after giving an explosive interview to New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza, in which he called ex-White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus a fucking paranoid schizophrenic. He also told Lizza that he was not like Trump strategist Steve Bannon in that Im not trying to suck my own c**k.... Im not trying to build my brand off the fucking strength of the president.

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci talks with reporters during 'Regional Media Day' at the White House in Washington, DC on July 25. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

An excerpt from the same interview published in a later New Yorker article had Scaramucci saying that Nick Ayers, Pences chief of staff, was in the White House to protect the vice president because the vice president cant believe what the fuck is going on.

The vice president probably is a person that Ive never heard say any words like that in a private or public setting, said Scaramucci. He was the first person I went to apologize to, and, being a gracious human being, he accepted my apology.

A recent report in The New York Times claimed that Pence was one of multiple Republicans preparing a shadow campaign to run for president in 2020 after becoming disillusioned with Trump. Pence issued a statement calling the article disgraceful and offensive to me, my family and our entire team. He addedthat the American people know that I could not be more honored to be working side by side with a president who is making America great again.

But while Pence has remained publicly loyal to Trump, some of his actions have added to the rumors of a presidential run. Pence launched a political action committee, known as the Great America Committee, in Maythe first time a sitting vice president has set up a PAC. Hehas also distanced himself from the controversy surrounding a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian government lawyer during the 2016 campaign.

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Anthony Scaramucci Thinks Mike Pence Will Succeed Donald Trump as President - Newsweek

Vice President Pence on Sunday called the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Va., during a white supremacist rally a tragedy, saying he stood by President Trump's initial statement against the hate demonstrated by those at the event.

"Yesterday President Trump clearly and unambiguously condemned the bigotry, violence, and hatred which took place on the streets of Charlottesville," Pence said. "Our hearts go out to the victims of violence that ensued, to the family of the young woman who lost her life, the families of the two police officers who fell in the line of duty, and all those who were injured."

The Department of Justice would have the full support of the Trump administration so the people found to be responsible for the violence would be held account under the law, Pence said.

Pence added he took issue with the criticism Trump received from the national media for his handling of the charged situation.

"We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo Nazis or the KKK," Pence said. "We should be putting the attention where it belongs, and that is on those extremist groups that need to be pushed out of the public debate entirely and discredited for the hate groups and dangerous fringe groups that they are."

Pence made the comments during a joint press conference with President Juan Manuel Santos in Cartagena, Colombia, as part of his visit to the country.

"President Santos' son just graduated from the University of Virginia, and the president himself spoke on that campus," Pence said. "What occurred there, as local and state officials have said, is in no way a reflection of the good and decent people of Charlottesville or of America."

See the rest here:
Mike Pence: 'We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis, or the KKK' - Washington Examiner

Republicans do not have to wake up each morning afraid of what the president has tweeted. They do not have to fret that the special counsel will find damning evidence of collusion with Russia, obstruction of justice or other criminal or impeachable behavior. They do not have to worry that they'll accomplish absolutely nothing before facing the voters in 2018. They do not have to dread that a presidential temper tantrum will get us into a war, or force a humiliating retreat. They need not fear that the president of their own party will attack them, or even back a primary challenge against them. They could have a normal president. They could have their party back.

In short, a significant portion of elected Republicans have clearly figured out that a President Mike Pence would be highly preferable to President Donald Trump. Whatever virtues they thought Trump had, those never materialized, and seven months of nerve-racking White House histrionics and dysfunction have left them mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Behind closed doors and in whispered cloakroom conversations, most elected Republicans acknowledge that Trump is a menace, a danger to the party and to the country. If they had any doubts, this week should have confirmed, as Rick Wilson put it, that "there are a lot of reasons that GOP Trumpism won't work, but the biggest one is this: Donald Trump hates you."

So, yes, most Republicans in Congress would prefer a stable, very conservative president who once served in the House and governed a red state. All they have to do is get Trump out of there and the Pence presidency can begin. Well, sure, but how is that going to happen?

We don't imagine that a quick divorce from Trump is possible. But after a few more months of outbursts, legislation botched by the White House and nail-biting confrontation with North Korea, Trump's poll numbers could plunge to 30 percent or lower, with considerable erosion in the GOP base. Especially if we see more disturbing evidence of potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials and/or alarming evidence of possible obstruction of justice, the moment might be ripe to cut the cord.

The first approach would be to present an untenable choice. Republicans can decide maybe they should have hearings and consider the emoluments problem after all. Mind you, the president can stay president or he can keep his foreign earnings. Not both. Likewise, Republicans can pass by veto-proof majorities a requirement for presidents to release their tax returns before the 2020 election. Hey, Trump can stay president and run again or he can keep his tax returns secret. Not both. Then there are the nepotism laws. Perhaps they need to be clarified and strengthened. Beginning in, say, 2018, no presidential child, sibling or spouse can have an official job title, a White House office or a security clearance. Trump can stay, of course. But he'd have to operate without Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at his side. He can be president - or he can keep his children close to help him through his work. Not both.

The second choice is impeachment, of course, which no longer seems far-fetched. Much hinges on what special counsel Robert Mueller finds, but with a squad of lawyers, a ton of witnesses and Trump's second-rate defense counsel, do we really think Mueller will come up completely dry? A month ago, it would have been hard to imagine Republicans initiating impeachment. Now, the American people are quite convinced that the Russia matter is no hoax. The Hill reports:

"A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found 70 percent of respondents think the Russia probe should include Trump's finances. A majority, 60 percent, also says the Russia probe is a serious matter, compared to 38 percent who think it is an attempt to discredit the current president. Americans, by a 59 percent to 31 percent margin, do not approve of the way Trump is handling the investigation, pollsters found."

If Trump starts refusing to cooperate and/or starts granting pardons, one can imagine the country collectively screaming: "Enough!" If Mueller makes a referral to the House for impeachment, Republicans might feel that they have no choice but to proceed. (And certainly if the Democrats take the House, they will initiate impeachment hearings.) Even the start of judiciary hearings might be enough to induce Trump to high-tail it out of there.

And that brings us to the possibility that Trump might decide he has had enough. With Trump, it's not impossible to imagine that he could convince himself that he has accomplished more in nine months (!) than most presidents have in eight years. (Stick with me.) Leave on top - illegal immigration crossings down, stock market high, unemployment low. Why let the mainstream media, the special counsel and those darned coastal elites tear him down, badger his family, etc. ? Hand the baton to Pence, and let him implement all of the plans Trump has set in place. Win! Trump can then go brag about the millions he made off the presidency.

Republicans have not been able to wrap their heads around the idea of ditching Trump. Given recent events, if Republicans were given a secret ballot to choose Trump or Pence as president for the remainder of Trump's term, Pence would surely win in a landslide. The "good" news is that Trump never thought he'd be president and is having a terrible time in the role. The trick is applying enough pressure, raising the prospect of impeachment or financial exposure so that he will conclude he can leave office before 2020 as a winner, and more important, keep his wealth intact and under wraps.

Washington Post

Jennifer Rubin is a columnist for the Washington Post.

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Continued here:
How to get rid of Trump and make Mike Pence president - Chicago Tribune

Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceScaramucci: Pence 'can't believe' what's going on OPINION | Mike Pence's 2020 run will go down in flames with Trump's presidency OPINION | Trump is a fake president and his base is starting to agree MORE on Sunday condemned white supremacists and defended President Trump following criticism that the administration failed to adequatelycondemn specific groups after Saturdayviolence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

We have no tolerance for hate and violence, white supremacists or neo-Nazis or the KKK, Pence said at a press conference in Cartagena, Colombia, according to a White House press pool report.

Trump had neglectedto namethe groups that organized the rally that turned violent inCharlottesville the previous day.

However, Pence said Trump clearly and unambiguously condemned what happened in Charlottesville. He referred to such groups as "dangerous fringe groups" and saidwe condemn them in the strongest possible terms."

The president also made clear that behavior by others of different militant perspectives are also unacceptable in our political debate and discourse, Pencesaid.

He also criticized the media for reporting on the criticism of Trump's response. A number of Republicans were quick to urgethe president to specifically condemn white supremacy, while Democrats sought to connectWhite House advisers to the far right movement.

I take issue with the fact that many in the national media spent more time criticizing the presidents words than they did criticizing those that perpetuated the violence to begin with, Pencesaid.

We should be putting the attention where it belongs, and that is on those extremist groups that need to be pushed out of the public debate entirely and discredited for the hate groups and dangerous fringe groups that they are," he continued.

A protest against government removal of a Confederate statue in Charlottesville on Saturday turned violent. The alt-right protesters clashed with counter protesters, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency before the rally even started. A young woman died and multiple were injured after a car then plowed into counter-protesters.

Trumps response to the violence in Charlottesville was criticized on both the left and right by lawmakers whosaid he needed to explicitlycondemn white supremacists and place the blame on far right groups for sparking the violence.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides on many sides," Trump said on Saturday.

The White House clarified Trump's position on Sunday.An official said "of course" the president condemns violence by"white supremacists, KKK Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups."

Protesters rallying in the name of the Charlottesville victims on Sunday night protested Trump at Trump Tower in New York City and Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.Demonstrators held signs that read No Free Speech For Fascists" andMake Racists Afraid AgainSmash White Supremacy!

- This report was updated at 9:15p.m.

Continue reading here:
Pence defends Trump response to Charlottesville violence - The Hill

Kevin DrumAug. 13, 2017 2:34 PM

Yin Bogu/Xinhua via ZUMA

Back in the day, there was a bit of bloggy conversation about whether Donald Trump might actually be a less destructive president than, say, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. The case against that was pretty simple:

Hes a serial liar. Hes a demagogue. Hes a racist and a xenophobe. He appeals to our worst natures.Hed appoint folks who make Michael Brown look like Jeff Bezos. He would deliberately alienate foreign countries for no good reason.And while that volatile personality of his probably wouldnt cause him to nuke Denmark, you never know, do you?

This week weve seen both of his two most serious flaws in action. Resurgent neo-Nazis and white nationalists, who take Trump as their inspiration and role model, invaded Charlottesville and produced exactly the violence and mayhem youd expect. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio had no problem denouncing these racist thugs. But Trump, as he did before with David Duke, refused to clearly and explicitly condemn them. He offered only his usual weasel words, which gave him plausible deniability but refrained from risking his reputation as the champion of white America. Nobody in media/politics can legitimately claim they didnt know that Trump plays footsie with white supremacists, says my boss today, and then lays out MoJos extensive coverage of exactly this over the past two years. You should read it if you have even the vaguest thought that maybe Trump isnt quite as toxic and ugly as Im suggesting.

At the same time, hes been engaged in a childish war of words with North Korea. This is not just idiotic, since Trump is making threats he knows he wont carry out, but recklessly dangerous. Its exactly the kind of thing that, with the right push, could escalate into Kim Jong-Un doing something foolhardy and then Trump responding in kind. The odds of this turning into a nuclear exchange are low. Maybe 1 percent or so. But with any other Republican the odds would be 0 percent.

Trump needs to go. The sooner Republicans figure this out, the better off well be. Mike Pence may have sold his soul by signing up with Trumpand as president hed unquestionably be bad for everything I care aboutbut Donald Trump is a disgrace, and a dangerous one. His 15 minutes should have been up long ago.

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Is It Time For Mike Pence To Be President? - Mother Jones