Former Vice President Mike Pence honored by Kennedy family in receiving the JFK 'Profile in Courage Award'

BOSTON, Mass. – Former Vice President Mike Pence was honored connected Sunday nighttime for his actions connected Jan. 6, 2021, successful defying his then-boss, President Donald Trump.

Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile successful Courage Award for his refusal to grant Trump's petition to propulsion retired the results of the 2020 statesmanlike election, and alternatively oversaw legislature certification of erstwhile President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

"Vice President Pence enactment his beingness vocation and that of his household connected the enactment to execute his law responsibilities. His actions preserved the cardinal antiauthoritarian rule of escaped and just elections and we are arrogant to grant him," erstwhile ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the precocious President Kennedy's daughter, said successful presenting Pence with the award.

Pence, successful accepting the yearly award, emphasized that it's a "distinction that I volition cherish for the remainder of my life."

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Former Vice President Mike Pence acknowledges his unit members arsenic helium speaks aft receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile successful Courage Award during a ceremonial astatine the JFK Library, Sunday, May 4, 2025, successful Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

And the erstwhile vice president, pointing to his actions connected Jan. 6, said to a lasting ovation, "I volition ever judge by God’s grace that I did my work that day."

In a Fox News Digital interrogation minutes aft the awards ceremony, Pence said, "in each my travels crossed the state successful the past 4 years, I've been profoundly humbled by however galore Americans person travel up to maine and conscionable taken a constituent to promote america and enactment us, and it convinces maine that the American radical cognize that what ever differences we whitethorn have, the Constitution is the communal crushed connected which we stand."

The now-65-year-old Pence was Indiana's politician erstwhile Trump named him his moving mate successful 2016. For 4 years, Pence served arsenic the loyal vice president to Trump during the president's archetypal word successful the White House.

However, everything changed connected Jan. 6, 2021, arsenic right-wing extremists — including immoderate chanting "hang Mike Pence" — stormed the U.S. Capitol aiming to upend legislature certification, overseen by Pence arsenic portion of his law duties arsenic vice president, of Biden’s Electoral College victory.

The attack connected the Capitol took spot soon aft Trump spoke to a ample rally of supporters adjacent the White House astir unproven claims that the 2020 predetermination was "rigged" owed to monolithic "voter fraud."

Pence has agelong described the convulsive onslaught connected the Capitol arsenic "tragic" and dishonoring to "the millions of radical who had supported our origin astir the country." He has emphasized that helium did "the close thing" and performed his "duty nether the Constitution." He has besides noted a fig of times that helium and Trump whitethorn never "see oculus to oculus connected that day."

In this Jan. 6, 2021 photo, protesters loyal to President Donald Trump tempest the Capitol successful Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

While Pence, his household and apical aides were hastily moved by Secret Service agents arsenic rioters roamed the halls of the Capitol, Trump argued successful a societal media station that "Mike Pence didn’t person the courageousness to bash what should person been done to support our Country and our Constitution, giving States a accidental to certify a corrected acceptable of facts, not the fraudulent oregon inaccurate ones which they were asked to antecedently certify."

Pence rejected the proposal of the Secret Service that helium fly the Capitol, and aft the rioters were yet removed from the Capitol, helium resumed his law relation successful overseeing the legislature certification ceremony.

The erstwhile vice president has repeatedly refuted Trump's assertion that helium could person overturned the statesmanlike predetermination results. Despite that, hardcore Trump loyalists person ne'er forgiven Pence, whom they presumption arsenic a traitor, for refusing to assistance the president's repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 predetermination results.

Former Vice President Mike Pence formally announced his candidacy for president successful Ankeny, Iowa, connected June 7, 2023. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Pence successful June 2023 launched a statesmanlike run of his own, joining a ample tract of challengers to Trump gunning for the 2024 GOP nomination, becoming the archetypal moving mate successful implicit 80 years to tally against their erstwhile boss.

Pence ran connected a accepted blimpish platform, framing the aboriginal of the Republican Party against what helium called the emergence of "populism" successful the party. 

Among the slim anti-Trump basal of the Republican Party, Pence received praise for his courageousness during the onslaught connected the Capitol, often receiving acknowledgment astatine municipality halls during his run for lasting up to Trump. 

While Pence regularly campaigned successful the important early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his White House bid ne'er took off. Struggling successful the polls and with fundraising, helium suspended his run conscionable 4 and a fractional months aft declaring his candidacy.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks aft receiving the John F. Kenney Profile successful Courage Award, astatine the JFK Library successful Boston, Massachusetts, connected May 4, 2025. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

The Profile successful Courage Award is named for a publication the precocious John F. Kennedy published successful 1957 earlier helium became president.

The grant honors nationalist officials who instrumentality principled stands contempt the imaginable governmental oregon idiosyncratic consequences. Among the erstwhile recipients were erstwhile Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, who introduced the erstwhile vice president astatine the awards ceremony, said Pence "saved America that day."

Former Vice President Mike Pence, 2nd from right, stands with his wife, Karen Pence, acold right, arsenic helium is presented with the John F. Kennedy Profile successful Courage Award by Jack Schlossberg and his mother, Caroline Kennedy, astatine a ceremonial astatine the JFK Library, Sunday, May 4, 2025, successful Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Caroline Kennedy, successful honoring the erstwhile vice president, noted her "political differences" with Pence, but emphasized that "political courageousness is not outdated successful the United States."

And Pence, a well-known fiscal and societal conservative, joked astir speaking successful beforehand of an assemblage dominated by Democrats, saying that helium was "the number successful this room."

After dropping his ain bid for the White House, Pence declined to endorse Trump, adjacent aft Trump clinched the GOP information past spring, though helium did congratulate his erstwhile moving mate aft his triumph past November.

Trump and Pence were seen shaking hands astatine erstwhile President Jimmy Carter's ceremonial successful aboriginal January – their archetypal nationalist quality unneurotic successful astir 4 years.

TRUMP, PENCE SHAKE HANDS AT CARTER FUNERAL IN FIRST PUBLIC MEETING SINCE LEAVING OFFICE

Former Vice President Al Gore (left) watches arsenic erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence (center) shakes hands with then-President-elect Donald Trump earlier a State Funeral Service for the precocious President Jimmy Carter astatine the Washington National Cathedral successful Washington, DC, connected January 9, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Pence has emerged arsenic a uncommon vocal Republican professional of Trump truthful acold during the president's 2nd circuit of work successful the White House.

He has critiqued Trump's arguable and haphazard implementation of monolithic tariffs connected America's largest trading partners, which initially sparked a monolithic banal marketplace sell-off, and raised concerns of accrued ostentation and speech of a recession.

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He has besides criticized the president's upending of longstanding American overseas argumentation and has urged Trump to basal with longtime planetary allies.

Pence's nationalist advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, besides campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to pb the nation’s wellness agencies.