Pence Told Liberty Grads To ‘Be Ready’ For Media, ‘Secular Left’ Attacks On Faith

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivers a keynote address during Access Intelligence's Satellite 2019 Conference and Exhibition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center May 06, 2019 in W... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivers a keynote address during Access Intelligence's Satellite 2019 Conference and Exhibition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center May 06, 2019 in Washington, DC. A marketing, events and business intelligence company that serves the energy, chemical, defense, cable, aviation, satellite, healthcare and media industries, Access Intelligence hosted the conference with the theme, 'The Business of Meaningful Connections.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Greeted by an honorary degree and chants of “U-S-A!” Vice President Mike Pence warned a crowd of 8,000 graduates at Liberty University during the evangelical school’s commencement on Saturday to prepare to be ridiculed for their faith after graduation.

Pence told students to “be ready” for the “ridicule” and “opposition” from the media and “Hollywood liberals” that will inevitably come when they’re out in the real world, while also touting the work the Trump administration has done to “protect religious liberty.”

“Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs,” he said. “As you go about your daily life, just be ready because you’re going to be asked not just to tolerate things that violate your faith, you’re going to be asked to endorse them. You’re going to be asked to bow down to the idols of the popular culture. … Decide here and now that you’re going to stand firm,” Pence said. “You’ll always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have, and you’ll do so with gentleness and respect.”

Pence, a longtime evangelical Christian spoke to a friendly crowd at Liberty University, a Christian university in Virginia, whose president, Jerry Falwell Jr., is an ardent Trump supporter with roots in Trump’s inner circle. It was recently reported that Falwell asked former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to destroy some racy photos of him that were being used as blackmail. While there’s no evidence the two events were correlated, Falwell later endorsed Trump for president, despite hosting Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) presidential announcement at Liberty.

Pence has been criticized by left-leaning evangelicals in the past for using his faith as a political cudgel and a mask for discriminatory policy, specifically against LGBT people.

In his speech, Pence even mentioned the backlash he received when his wife Karen Pence took up her former teaching gig at a local private school, which discriminates against LGBT students and parents.

Latest News
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: