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President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis in October caught the White House so off guard that it was left with no plans in place to swear in Vice President Mike Pence if Trump died or became severely ill, a new book says.

More of the internal panic and scrambling around Trump's COVID-19 illness was detailed in an excerpt, published in The Washington Post on Thursday, of "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History." The book, written by The Post's reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, is set to be released next Tuesday.

Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 on October 1, throwing the functions of government and the 2020 presidential election into chaos and the White House into a tailspin, with aides unprepared for the possibility of Trump dying or becoming too sick to carry out the duties of his office, the book said.

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Trump was at high risk for severe illness and death because of his age and weight. And his condition was said to be far more serious than the White House let on at the time.

Under the Presidential Succession Act, Pence would have taken over as commander in chief if Trump had died.

A president can also temporarily transfer the powers of the presidency to the vice president under Section 3 of the 25th Amendment. President George W. Bush briefly handed the reins to his vice president, Dick Cheney, when he went under anesthesia for colonoscopies, for example.

The book excerpt also detailed the White House's frantic behind-the-scenes efforts in October to secure a "compassionate use" exception from the Food and Drug Administration to use a monoclonal antibody, an experimental treatment not available to the public.

After treatment with antiviral therapies and steroids during a short stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump returned to the White House and recovered. But the episode did not, as many aides had hoped, help Trump take the virus more seriously in the White House's coronavirus protocols and policy response.

Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prayed that Trump would recover and that his illness would make him turn a corner and "show some humility," the book said. But when Trump returned, he walked up to the Truman Balcony and defiantly took off his mask, shoving it in his pocket, and gave a thumbs-up to the cameras below.

"Right then, Redfield knew it was over," Abutaleb and Paletta wrote. "Trump showedin that moment that he hadn't changedat all. The pandemic response wasn't going to change, either."

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WH had no plans to swear in Pence if Trump died of COVID-19: book - Business Insider

Former Vice President Mike Pence has called for the elimination of critical race theory during a speech in which he outlined his vision for the future of the Republican Party.

Pence said on Thursday that the GOP "must stop the efforts to rewrite American history through initiatives like the 1619 Project," referring to the New York Times project aimed at examining the legacy of slavery in the U.S.

"The Republican Party in the years ahead must work to make school choice the right of every American family," Pence told the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

He said that the GOP must look to "restore the classics to education in our schools," adding that "we must eliminate critical race theory at every level," referring to the theory which examines how race and racism intersect with politics, culture and law.

"Critical race theory teaches children as young as kindergarten to be ashamed of their skin color. It represents a full-throated assault aimed at the heart of the American experiment," Pence said.

"It is nothing short of state-sponsored and state-sanctioned racism. Our party must ensure that critical race theory is expelled from our schools, our military, and our public institutions," he said to applause from the audience.

Pence has become the latest GOP voice in condemning critical race theory, which is gaining momentum within the party as a hot button culture war issue.

Earlier in June, Pence had promoted speculation about a 2024 presidential run during a speech in New Hampshire in which he took aim at the theory, and said that "America is not a racist nation."

Also this month, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said critical race theory is "every bit as racist" as the Ku Klux Klan.

An Economist/YouGov poll in June showed that a majority of Americans (58 percent) had an unfavorable view of critical race theory, which opponents say sows divisions between ethnic groups. Some 38 percent of respondents viewed critical race theory favorably.

Pence also used his speech on Thursday to defend himself for certifying the Electoral College vote on January 6, the day when loyalists of ex-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.

In a comment that was seen as his strongest attempt yet to distance himself from Trump, Pence said there is "almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."

Newsweek has contacted Pence's office for further comment.

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Mike Pence Brands Critical Race Theory 'State-Sanctioned Racism' - Newsweek

Rudy Giuliani repeatedly but falsely assured former President Donald Trump that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to overturn the 2020 election in the days leading up to January 6, a new book said.

An excerpt of author Michael Wolff's forthcoming book, "Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency," was published on Monday in New York Magazine. It detailed the White House's moment-by-moment reaction to the January 6 insurrection. Wolff is the author of two other books about the Trump White House: "Fire and Fury" and "Siege."

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By January 6, Wolff wrote, many core administration officials and White House staffers had left or largely distanced themselves from the action, leaving only a small circle of aides who were still involved in Trump's day-to-day activities and, with the White House counsel's office largely checked out, leaving Giuliani as Trump's main legal confidant.

Giuliani, Wolff said, "was drinking heavily and in a constant state of excitation, often almost incoherent in his agitation and mania" in the lead-up to the deadly riot. Giuliani was obsessed with the idea that Pence could somehow preclude Congress from affirming President Joe Biden's election victory, the excerpt said.

"There is no question, none at all, that the VP can do this. That's a fact. The Constitution gives him the authority not to certify. It goes back to the state legislatures," Giuliani said continuously on the phone to Trump and anyone else who would listen, Wolff wrote.

In reality, Congress does not "certify" slates of electoral votes, but counts and affirms the Electoral College votes submitted by states. There is no constitutional or legal avenue for the vice president, who only performs a ceremonial role, to categorically reject slates of electors or "send back" electoral certificates to states for further review, as Trump has repeatedly suggested.

On Thursday, a New York court suspended Giuliani's license to practice law in the state for two years, making him the first attorney to experience professional consequences for perpetuating lies about fraud in the 2020 election.

The court found "uncontroverted evidence" that Giuliani had "communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large" in lodging unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud while representing Trump.

Giuliani pushed false and unfounded claims of fraud in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania in both official legislative hearings and in the media, in addition to misrepresenting the nature of the Trump campaign's federal court litigation in Pennsylvania.

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Giuliani falsely assured Trump Pence could overturn election: book - Business Insider

Former Vice President Mike Pence was briefly heckled Friday as a "traitor" at a conservative conference in Orlando seen as a stop for Republicans honing stump speeches for a possible presidential run in 2024.

As Pence kicked off his remarks to the Faith and Freedom Coalition, the organization founded by political consultant and lobbyist Ralph Reed, several audience members greeted him with boos.

"It is great to be back with so many patriots," Pence said as the jeering continued, "dedicated to faith and freedom and the road to the majority."

As he thanked Reed, who introduced his speech, multiple audience members yelled out, "Traitor!" and continued to try to drown him out. Security personnel quickly removed the hecklers from the crowd, and Pence was able to continue his remarks without further incident.

The tension between supporters of former President Donald Trump and Pence remains palpable more than five months after a violent mob seeking to block the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden's election victory stormed the U.S. Capitol, chanting, "Hang Mike Pence!"

Pence oversaw the certification, and Trump, speaking at a rally before the riot, urged him to block it.

"I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so," Trump told his supporters on Jan. 6. "Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election."

Former Vice President Mike Pence. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Later in his speech, Trump again commented on Pence.

"And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a, a sad day for our country because you're sworn to uphold the Constitution," Trump said.

As the rioters breached the Capitol that afternoon, Trump again took aim at his vice president. "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify," he tweeted. "USA demands the truth!"

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With recent moves such as announcing a book deal and returning to the speaking circuit at Republican gatherings, Pence has seemed to signal that he intends to mount a White House run in 2024. If so, that would set up an inevitable clash with Trump supporters, especially if the former president decides to seek a second term.

"You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office, and I don't know if we'll ever see eye-to-eye on that day," Pence said at a GOP dinner in Manchester, N.H., in early June, referring to Jan. 6.

On Friday, however, Pence continued to walk the fine line of linking himself to Trump's legacy while continuing to occupy a place of scorn among his supporters.

"You know, for the past four years, President Trump taught us what Republicans can accomplish when we stand firm on conservative principles and don't back down," Pence said. "Our administration was four years of consequence, four years of results. As we like to say, it was four years of promises made and promises kept."

To that line, anyway, the former vice president received warm applause.

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Mike Pence called 'traitor' by hecklers in Florida

Mike Pence, the former US vice-president, has been heckled as a traitor for his refusal to overturn last years election result during a speech to a gathering of religious conservatives.

Pence, who is widely seen as laying the groundwork for a White House run in 2024, had entered an auditorium in Orlando, Florida to a standing ovation on Friday. But a small group began shouted abuse including traitor! as he began a 28-minute speech. The dissenters were quickly escorted out by police.

Earlier, in a corridor outside the ballroom, an attendee named Rick Hurley, wearing a red Make America great again cap, also vented his frustration over Pences role in certifying Donald Trumps defeat on 6 January amid false claims of voter fraud.

We need to start fighting! Hurley shouted at anyone who would listen. We need to stop being so damned nice. What the hells going on? Why is Pence coming today? Donald Trump has his pen in his back still.

Before being taken aside by police, he also remarked: Im ready to fight. Im going to boo him off stage. Ill take the bullet. Ill walk to the front of the stage and look him in the eye and and say, What are you doing here?

In an interview, Hurley said he had been at the US Capitol on 6 January. I want to know why Pence is here today. he said. He stabbed Donald Trump in the back and took the coins like Judas.

But Ralph Reed, organiser of the Faith & Freedom Coalitions annual Road to Majority conference, was at pains to give Pence a warm welcome and honor him as stalwart of the Christian conservative movement.

And the ex-vice president, who earlier this month admitted that he and his former boss may never see eye to eye on the events of 6 January, when some Trump supporters called for him to be hanged, did not dwell on that disagreement during his remarks.

He instead told the gathering: Thank you for the privilege of serving as your vice-president with Donald Trump. It was the greatest honor of my life.

Pence made only a passing reference to the deadly insurrection that implied an equivalence with racial justice protests and Joe Bidens policies: Weve all been through a lot over the past year: a global pandemic, civil unrest, a divisive election, a tragic day in our nations Capitol, and a new administration intent on transforming our country.

Since leaving office, Pence has bought a house in Indiana, announced plans for a podcast and signed a two-book deal for his memoir. Despite the anger of some Trump supporters, he is seen as a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

His conference speech on Friday duly listed the Trump administrations achievements from supreme court appointments to coronavirus vaccines and took aim at Biden for rapidly unravelling its legacy with a tidal wave of leftwing policies.

Pence quipped: Democrats have been so busy advancing their liberal agenda, sometimes I feel like the left hand doesnt know what the far left hand is doing.

He went on to rail against an explosion of runaway spending, proposed tax increases, plans to cut military funding and the cancellation of construction on Trumps signature border wall.

Literally in five months, they turned the most secure border in the world into the worst border crisis in American history, Pence said to applause. You know, when I was vice-president, I visited our southern border. And yes, its past time for our current vice-president to go to the border, put our policies back into effect and end the Biden border crisis today.

He also threw out false assertions to go after culture war targets currently in vogue in conservative media including cancel culture and defund the police.

Among them was critical race theory which, developed by academics starting in the 1970s, examines how racism embedded in law and institutions creates an uneven playing field for people of color in America. Numerous Republican controlled states have moved to ban it from being taught in schools.

Pence crudely misrepresented the intellectual tool by stating: Instead of teaching all of our children to be proud of their country, critical race theory teaches children as young as kindergarten to be ashamed of their skin color. Critical race theory is racism, pure and simple and it should be rejected by every American of every race.

The truth is its past time for America to discard the left wing reflex to see systemic racism across our nation. As my friend Senator Tim Scott says so well, America is not a racist country America is the most just, noble and inclusive nation ever to exist on the face of the earth.

In another wildly contentious claim, Pence said: The United States military is the greatest force for good the world has ever known.

Pence closed a morning session that included Republican senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all potential rivals for the 2024 nomination. Trump himself has not yet declared whether he will run or whether Pence would again be his running mate.

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Conservative Christians jeer traitor Pence for refusing ...