A look inside the daily life of US Vice President Mike Pence, who loves popcorn, bikes miles at a time, and has a cat called Pickle
While there has been speculation that Pence is establishing a sort of "shadow presidency" of his own, the vice president has slammed any indication that he's planning to take over from Trump. Pence has called the president "a man with broad shoulders and a big heart."
The Pence family has a cat called Pickle and a rabbit named Marlon Bundo — also known as BOTUS, or "Bunny of the United States."
Sources: The New York Daily News, CNN
Pence has said that he also enjoys horseback riding. "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man," he told The Hill.
Source: The Hill
When he's not working, Pence is an avid cyclist. After losing a Congressional race, he once biked 250 miles around his district, according to the Washington Post.
Source: CBS, Politico, Washington Post
As his schedule allows, Pence also participates in a weekly West Wing Bible study, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Health Secretary Tom Price, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, according to the Washington Examiner.
Source: Washington Examiner
On Sundays, the Pences have been spotted attending service at Sanibel Community Church in Florida and the Anglican Falls Church in Virginia.
Source: Religion News, Free Republic
While the Washington Post reported that she has no desire to "influence policy," Karen is one of Pence closest advisers, according to Rolling Stone. He's referred to her as the family's "prayer warrior" in the past and calls her "mother" as a nickname.
Source: Rolling Stone, Washington Post
In 2002, he also claimed that he never eats alone with a woman, other than Karen. Those comments have been scrutinized recently, with commentators calling the choice sexist.
Source: The New Yorker, Politico, Washington Post
The vice president also does not attend events that serve alcohol without his wife.
Source: The Washington Post
The report also revealed that Pence has never smoked cigarettes, although he did spark a controversy in 2000 by suggesting that "smoking doesn't kill."
Source: The New Yorker, Politico, Business Insider
When it comes to dining, Pence does have certain rules. The vice president tends to avoid alcohol, according to a summary of his health history released during the campaign.
Source: The New Yorker, Politico, Business Insider
Now that he is the vice president, Pence's dining schedule is far more up in the air. Sometimes, he and his wife Karen dine with the Trumps.
During his tenure in Congress, Pence told The Hill that he enjoyed grabbing a late dinner with his family. He added that "plopping down on the couch and catching up with mom and the kids" helped him unwind.
Source: The Hill
In 2009, Pence told The Hill that snacking on Indiana popcorn at 5 p.m. — sometimes with now-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel — was his guilty pleasure. "If I have not had dinner or do not have plans for dinner, I usually get a bag and almost always regret it eventually," he said.
Source: The Hill
... and a shelf stocked with books that Pence described "of great consequence to me personally." These included Dinesh D'Souza's biography of Reagan, "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders, Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for the Red October," "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis, and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey, among others.
Source: Roll Call
Roll Call's office tour also revealed that the then-representative kept a Bible on his desk...
Source: Roll Call
In his old office, Pence also kept a "table of heroes," featuring photos of conservative politicians like Jack Kemp, Dan Quayle, and Ronald Reagan. "It reminds me who I am," he told Roll Call.
Source: Roll Call
As a member of Congress, Pence featured a signed Garfield cartoon in his office. Garfield artist Jim Davis hails from Indiana.
Source: Roll Call
The Washington Post reports that Pence's White House office is next to the office of national security advisor H.R. McMaster. It's also quite far away from the Oval Office on the first floor.
Source: The White House, The Washington Post
When it comes time to go to work, Pence has an office in the West Wing, along with offices in the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Source: The White House, The Washington Post
The home is located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory, where scientists observe the sun, moon, and stars for navigational purposes, according to the White House.
Source: The White House
Pence has taken up residence at Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence for the vice president since 1974.
Source: The White House
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