Mike Pence in the Rose Garden attending the National Day of  Prayer ceremony.
  By Cheriss May/NurPhoto/Getty Images.
    Back in the early days of 2016, Donald    Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump    Jr.,     reportedly reached out to John    Kasich with a tantalizing offer: if Kasich dropped    his own presidential campaign and joined the Trump ticket as    vice president, he would be the most powerful vice president    in historyin charge of all foreign and domestic policy while    Trump, presumably, would play to his strengths as a    cheerleader, browbeater, and mere figurehead. Just as he made    his money licensing his name, Trump would focus his diffuse    energies on making America great again.  
    Its an intriguing picture of a presidency that might have been    if Trump werent so bad at delegating authority. And it could    be at the forefront of Vice President Mike    Pences mind as the Trump presidency sinks deeper into    scandal. As his boss grapples with a stalled legislative agenda    and growing worries of a 2018 midterm election bloodbath, the    otherwise diminished, frequently forgotten Pence appears to be    stepping into the spotlight as he strives to shore up a    Republican field made increasingly vulnerable by Trump himself.    With Republican candidates suddenly facing uphill battles in    usually reliable red districts and states, Pence is preparing    to tour the country this summer to stump and fund-raise. He    has an appetite to fight, so hes going to get out there and    fight on the presidents behalf, Pence strategist Nick    Ayers     told Politico.  
    Its an extraordinary move for a vice president to make alone,    without the president, so early in an administration. But    nothing about the Trump administration is ordinary. And with    the word impeachment now being whispered through Capitol    Hill, its a move that is sure to further fuel speculation that    Pences whistle-stop tour is another portent of his planning    for a possible post-Trump era. As my colleague Abigail    Tracy     reported earlier this month, some Republicans are open to    the ideaand already maneuvering to protect Pence in the event    that Trump, one way or another, doesnt make it to the 2020    finish line. I think some of them are doing some scenario    planning, some of them just want somebody that they know speaks    their language, Republican strategist Rick    Wilson said. So a lot of them are protecting him and    keeping him sort of a little bit above the fray because they    would like to have a backup plan just in case. Pence has done    little to tamp down the rumors,     filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to    launch his own PAC, the Great America Committeethe first time    a sitting vice president has established his own independent    political arm.  
    If Pence does have designs on his bosss job, hes keeping his    cards relatively close to his vest. A source close to Pence    dismissed the idea that Pences move signaled a presidential    bid, telling NBC News, Dont read into 2020 as anything other    than his running for re-election as vice president in 2020 and    supporting other candidates. And Pence has remained    unflaggingly loyal to Trump, rarely deviating from the script.    While delivering the keynote at an anniversary gala of the    anti-abortion Susan B. Anthonys List, Pence, one of the most    ardent anti-abortion politicians out there, spent most of his    time praising Trump and describing his views on abortion,    Politico notes. If anything, Pence seems too out of the loop,    purportedly misinformed or sidelined on details of Trump    scandals, from the     firing of Mike Flynn to the timeline    surrounding the     dismissal of James Comey.  
    If Pence does have post-Trump ambitions, he is smart to keep    them under wraps. The president notoriously dislikes any hint    that his underlings are outshining him, once     rebuking Steve Bannon for not pushing back    against the perception that he, not Trump, is the real power    behind the throne. And as several political strategists told    Politico, it just isnt in Pences nature to steal the    spotlight. But in an administration that has little energy left    over to protect the Republican majority in the upcoming    midtermsand with a president who is likely too toxic to be an    effective campaignerPence, a former congressman and a quiet    party insider, may have a new sandbox in which to experiment    with the scope of his power.  
                            Donald and Melania at a party at                            Marquee, a New York nightclub, in 2004.                          
                            The couple in New York City in 1999.                          
                            Melania (right) with fellow model Emma                            Eriksson during a 1995 photo shoot.                          
                            The couple with Donalds daughter                            Ivanka at the 2004 Met Gala.                          
                            The First Couple.                          
                            Donald and Melania at the Inaugural                            Luncheon, at the Capitol.                          
                            Melania in the White House before                            leaving for Mar-a-Lago on March 17.                          
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              Donald and Melania at a party at Marquee, a New York              nightclub, in 2004.            
              By Richard Corkery/New York Daily News/Getty Images.            
              The couple in New York City in 1999.            
              By Henry McGee/Zumapress.com.            
              Melania (right) with fellow model Emma Eriksson              during a 1995 photo shoot.            
              By Al De Basseville/Splash News.            
              The couple with Donalds daughter Ivanka at the 2004              Met Gala.            
              By Evan Agostini/Getty Images.            
              Melania picks up her son, Barron, from school, in New              York, in 2016.            
              From Probe-Media.com.            
              Melania with Donald at a campaign event in Detroit.            
              By Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.            
              The soon-to-be First Couple is welcomed to the White              House by the Obamas on Inauguration Day 2017.            
              By Mark Wilson/Getty Images.            
              The First Couple.            
              By Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.            
              Donald and Melania at the Inaugural Luncheon, at the              Capitol.            
              By Molly Riley/AFP/Getty Images.            
              Melania in the White House before leaving for              Mar-a-Lago on March 17.            
              By Ron Sachs/DPA/Abaca.            
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With Trump in Peril, Mike Pence Hits the Campaign Trail - Vanity Fair