Mike Pence is a simple man who enjoys simple things, like discriminating against gay people, staying as far away from women as possible, and watching pleasantly apolitical football games. Unfortunately, while Pence and the rest of the Trump administration are having a great time discriminating against gay people and women, he’s not having as much luck when it comes to football. That’s especially true today, as Pence made a big and obvious show of attending today’s Indianapolis Colts game, only to walk out almost immediately because he was so disgusted with some players’ decision to protest.
However, there are a few problems with this story. For one thing, the photo he shared as an indication of how excited he was to be at the game was from 2014 (as noted by Indy Star). He also shared a photo that seems more recent, but unlike the original one that shows him in full Colts gear and sitting among regular fans (making him more relatable and down-to-earth), the more recent one shows him in a special box, standing above all of the worthless peasants.
The other problem with Pence’s little stunt is that it was almost definitely planned, and he had no intention of sitting through the actual football game. According to NBC’s Peter Alexander, reporters on the scene were told to stick around because “there may be an early departure from the game.” If that’s the case, it means that the Secret Service would’ve had to sweep the stadium and make sure it was secure enough for Pence to make his token appearance, all so he could walk out after a few minutes. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Ryan Parker, the NFL is also refusing to answer questions about just how much time and money was wasted for this stunt, but it seems fairly safe to assume that it was a lot and that tax dollars covered most of it.