Betsy, and her father. [applause] i would like to begin with a brief history lesson. It is only appropriate that we find ourselves at a residential library. Our constitution explicitly states the oath of office for the president s of the United States. But for other officers of the government, including the Vice President , the constitution offers no instruction whatsoever about the oath required. Well, the First Congress stated that only senators could administer the oath to the Vice President. A few months later, they change their mind giving judges that ability. The oath itself has changed many times over the years. The oath in use today for the Vice President has been around since 1884. You will be interested to know that our guest tonight took the oath as Vice President , with his left hand resting on none other than president reagans own bible. The very bible used when he took the oath of office in 1981, and four years later, in 1985. The oath is brief. Here it is. I do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear true faith that i take this obligation freely, without any reservation or purpose of evasion. That i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office, on which i am about to enter, so help me god. So help me god. Those four words serve as a plea, as a prayer, as a reminder that immense pressure may be placed on a person and that he or she can turn to a higher power, to find the confidence and the courage to do what is right. It is also these very words that make for an appropriate title of Vice President s mike pence his new memoir which hit the stands a couple of days ago. They are specially fitting because he is a man of deep and abiding faith. It has been faith that has helped him, his wife, karen, and the entire pence family throughout their life, and particularly through challenging moments of public life. This is a book about that journey. It is a defense of the policies of the trump and pence this duration administration. It is also a memoir that reveals some new details about some important recent history, including the events of january 6. Throughout it, Vice President pence also offers insights for his parties to take on new relevance and new urgency, following last weeks election results. Announcements made earlier this week, as well. When Vice President pence last spoke in the Reagan Library, it was in the summer of 2021. It was part of our time for choosing speakers. With that series, we invite Republican Leaders to offer their view on the right direction for the parties to be successful in the future. As we gather here this evening, it seems that the choice now facing the party is becoming even starker, and probably more complicated. As a party, we need to get this right. I am certain that the first piece of advice our speaker would offer about the future is this, uphold your oath to the constitution, so help you god. 80s and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the 48th Vice President of the United States of america, mike pence. [applause] what an honor it is to happy with us tonight, mr. Vice president. The honor is mine, john. And q, so very much. The president ial library is a national treasure. [applause] this is your stage. Theres a story in your book about your father. I thought it was so telling because, i hope you will tell it to us. Its about when you came home with the whole batch of blueribbon, firstplace for speaking for speaking contest you had one. You put them down in front of your father. Then what happened . John, again, thank you for the hospitality. And the other honored guests that are here. It is a joy to be with you all. This is my first book signing, so help me god. [laughter] [applause] i love you bringing up my dad because while much of the book deals with my public life in the tumultuous years that would follow, i was on capitol hill and 911 array about that in the book. My efforts would result in me emerging as a conservative leader in the house of representatives going home to indiana and to be governor of the state, and also having the great privilege to be your Vice President during some extraordinary years of accomplishment for the American People. And of that would have been possible without my faith in god , my family, and the support and prayers of the American People. Thank you for the privilege to serve you. It was the greatest honor of my life. [applause] it is wonderful you brought up my dad. My dad grew up on the southside of chicago. He was a fast talking, young man. He listed enlisted in the army and ended up in the korean war. He came back he met my mom and they ended up in a small town, in southern indiana, where i showed up. My dad has been gone since 1988. But sometimes i have to remind myself that our three Adult Children never met my dad. He continues to be such a great influence in my life. He is the best man i ever knew. Someone recently observed that he is the secret star of the book. The story referred to says a lot about my dad in the way he raised my three brothers, two sisters, and i. In the chapter entitled, climb euro amount, dad had built a successful business in the small town. A gas station business. It worked out a gas station to pay my way through college. I was a gas station attendant. For the younger people in the room, we will explain later what that was. [laughter] but my dad was a man of strong faith. He most often repeated phrases were climb your own mountain. He said to each one of his children, i dont care what you do with your life. But i want you to strive every day to do your best. The story you allude to captured that moment. I did not excel greatly in sports in high school. But i had a lot of success in speech competitions. I remember coming home from an oratorical contest with a fistful of blue ribbons. I threw them on the Kitchen Table to dad. I told him i had a great day. The great part about it was that i had not tried that hard. I really kinda phoned it in. [laughter] dad looked up at me and i thought he would be pleased they came back with a fistful of ribbons. He knew them back at me. He said i dont want anything to do with those. I said why . I came in first. He said you just told me you didnt do your best. He said all i ever want for me was to do your best. Every day of my life i try to live up to that standard. That combat veteran, that dedicated father, dedicated husband, one of my favorite memories about my dad. When my First International trips was to travel to korea. We were driving to the capital of soul, they had billboards at the bus stations that said, welcome, Vice President pence. Right underneath it, it said in thank you lieutenant, for our freedom. [applause] one more story a would like you to tell. I fell in love with the story. This one is about a Fraternity Brother that you had in college. This is a bornagain story. I would like you to tell the story about what he wore around his neck and how that affected you. Hes got this Fraternity Brother named john. I thought it was only appropriate if i call this man the modernday john apostle. He remarked to him about what he was wearing. I when i went off to college i had lost interest in the faith of my youth. I gained some notoriety around my group. I was probably typical 18yearold young man, probably full of myself. I have been raised in a church home. My family was, church on sunday, grace before dinner. I lost interest in it. When i went off to college, i started to meet young men that seem to have an ease in their life that i did not have. It called themselves, simply christians. They invited me to come to a Fellowship Group on campus at the little chapel. I visited once. As i read in the book, in there were a fair number of pretty, young ladies that came to that thing. But in that time, i began to have conversations with my friends, particularly john, whom now is a pastor at a large presbyterian church. We would have latenight conversations like Fraternity Brothers will have, talking about god. At one point, i noticed that john wore a gold cross around his neck. I asked him or he got it. He said it was from a catalog, back in the day when you could pick up the phone and order things. Over the phone. [laughter] i said to him, i just decided i was associating with these christian people. I thought i was going to be christian, too. I said to john, remember, give matt catalog. I want to order one of those crosses that you where. When data material, a sewage walking away he turned around and said to me, dont forget, give me that catalog. I want to get that cross. He said remember, you have to wear in your heart, before you wear it around her neck. I fell in that moment that my mask had been pulled off. As i wrote in the book, i realized he could tell i was a phony. I was just posing. I was holding the form of christianity but did not understand it. It would be a number of weeks later that i would travel with that same group of young people to an early christian Music Festival at a place called wilmore, kentucky. It was there, listening to these new contemporary christian musicians and a movement that began here, california. I heard a preacher that god so loved his world that he sent the only begotten son. He might have everlasting life. I stood up and walks down and i found a volunteer pastor. I accepted jesus christ as my personal lord and savior and it changed my life forever. [applause] it is the most important decision i ever made. His grace has sustained me, ever since. I am trying to reflect what that has meant to me since that day, in the rain. The second most important i ever made in my life was the day i asked Karen Whitaker to be my wife. [applause] she has been the greatest evidence of gods grace in my life. Ive heard you a few times say im a christian, im a conservative, andy republican, in that order. Thats right. Maybe you might say was on january 6. It might have been the other time in your life when you felt your faith was really tested. Early in my faith walk, the hardest day for me, was the day dad left us. I was in the middle of that First Campaign in 1988. Karen and i were driving around in our pontiac grand prix. A little sign on the door, we would tape, mike pence for congress. As i recounted in the book, i got a phone call to hurry to the hospital in columbus. In i walked into the hospital and my brother ed had his arm around my mom. He said, dads gone. That was the worst day of my life. By far. But i try and write in the book very candidly about how i worked through that. I dealt with it and tried to be candid about growing from it. For me, that was maybe the greatest challenge. Beyond the whole public responsibility have had, and challenges we had in the public square. There is nothing more important than family. [applause] the way i read it, this was definitely a levitt first site a love at first sight with karen. Most politicians say my wife and i reteam. But i get the feeling that there is not a piece of your life where your wife karen and you are not melded together. This is a really important relationship. That is the sense i get. I dedicated the book to karen. The love of my life. Its true from the bottom of my heart. The first time i met her, i thought she was extraordinary. I followed her out of the back of the church where she was playing guitar in a group and told her i wanted to play in a guitar group. [applause] [laughter] she pointed to a large man with a beard. I just tucked my head out and said, im mike pence. She figured out i was not interested in playing the guitar. [laughter] i met her and she was teaching shop. At a local private school. She had already worked her way through college and paid her way through college, studied and got a masters degree. She was a pilot and she was in every way extraordinary. After i talked to this girl i just met for 15 minutes, to this day, he tells people he knew this time was different, and it was. We were engaged nine months later and married after that. Every step of the way, she has been my closest advisor, my greatest sort of string. Source of strength. Someone said to me the other day that what comes through in so help me god is that it is not just our marriage, but it is extended to our children all the way through a fateful day in january now almost two years ago when i was trying to find just the right words. When we reconvene the United States senate after that tragic day in january, i was back up stairs just off the senate chamber, and i had written some words there that i wanted to recite when we reconvened that very same day. As you will see and read in the book, my wife was over one shoulder and my daughter charlotte was leaning over the other. My wife and kids know my heart better than everybody, and we had my son and my other daughter on the phone giving their thoughts about helping dad find just the right words. I hope in this book what comes through is that whatever we have accomplished, whatever we have been able to do for the people of indiana and the American People, we have been able to do because of our faith in god, my extraordinary wife, and are extraordinarily family at the foundation of it all. [applause] mr. Heubusch speaking of family, i would like to broaden this out a bit and talk with you for a minute about there are so many problems i am sure you face as governor, societal problems that range from drug abuse to homelessness. These are intractable problems that it seems are impossible to solve, but i get the sense in your book that you believe at the end of the day, we can throw any kind of money or programs at these things, it all begins and ends with the family. Mr. Pence well, i was asked last night on a Cable Network program i a pastor from indiana that was at the town hall on cnn. He said what is your advice to busy families that have busy lives, which is virtually true of every American Family in these challenging times. I said, go home for dinner. The family is the cornerstone of our civilization. I really do believe on a practical level in these times where it seems like our politics are more divided than ever, it is really more that unites the American People. I believe faith is chief among those things but i believe a love for our families, a desire to see our children and grandchildren live the American Dream and achieve more than we achieved. I do believe that Strong Families make strong communities, strong committees will make a Strong America peered with Strong Families, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish as americans. [applause] mr. Heubusch i told the story when introduced to about you taking the oath with president reagans bible, and there round reagan had a lot of fans. Mr. Pence was one of them. Mr. Heubusch my sense is that you not only really admired the man, but you admired his vision above all else. Is that right . Mr. Pence i did admire his vision. Well, i know i am in california and california claims Ronald Reagan and you should. But he is from the midwest. [laughter] im just saying, mike. Not far from where i grew up. It was his vision, but also to me, it was that combination of a strong backbone and a gentle hand that inspired me. As i recount in so help me god i was slow to the parade. I grew up in really a nonpolitical family if you can believe that. My dad really did not have any use for politicians or lawyers. You can imagine i am a source of great pride to him. [laughter] when i got interested in politics, i talked to dad and he said my lawyer is involved in politics, go talk to him. He happened to be a democrat so i got involved in the Democratic Party in indiana. I was a youth Democratic Party coordinator in 1975, kind of a Community Organizer if the truth be told. [laughter] ill be honest with you, as some of the people were teasing me at the library today, i voted for jimmy carter, and i really did not get Ronald Reagan. I did not understand it. When i went off to college, embrace my faith in christ, as i recount in the book, i began kind of a conservative transformation as well. I started hearing in president reagan the same thing that my irish immigrant ran father had raised me to believe. I was raised named after him and my dad had raised me to believe that common, heartland conservatism that was just the vocabulary of my youth. I always loved that story of when the American People heard Ronald Reagan talking, whether they were driving a truck or in an office or sitting on a tractor, they would just say, darn right. I started to listen, and i started to hear that vision, but also i was deeply inspired by that kindness and respect that he showed for every american. When i moved to indianapolis after i graduated, as i recount in the book, i walked into the local republican had orders and said, im here to sign up for the republican party. This rather large county chairman looked at me behind his desk and said, thats not really something you sign up for but [laughter] we are glad to have you. I joined the ranking revolution and never looked back. It was his vision, a vision for a Strong National defense, limited government under the constitution, traditional moral values but also it was a heart in a gentleness in the way that he spoke, deep conviction, the gentleness and respect that w