Living cardboard cutout Mike Pence doesn’t share much in common with his brashly gregarious former boss, but if the former vice president did learn anything from Donald Trump, it might just be how to make a total buffoon of yourself in public. On Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t wait to play the evidence of this shared trait, which was on full display during Pence’s recent CNN Town Hall with Jake Tapper.
“The former video poodle has been making the rounds promoting his new book and wowing the world with his Robin Williams-caliber charisma,” Kimmel said, before sharing a clip of the stone-faced politician-turned-author interacting with the audience during a Q&A. First up was an independent voter named Andrea Barber-Dansby, who Pence then addressed as “Barbara.” OK, so maybe the last name tripped him up. Fortunately, “Barbara” responded to Pence’s wooden attempt at small talk with a simple “It’s Andrea.”
“It happens,” Kimmel said of the interaction. “Honest mistake. You know, he usually isn’t allowed to talk to women, so he got nervous. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
Sure enough, when Indiana University student Daniela Moloci stood up to ask a question, Pence made it clear to “Michelle” that he cared about her and her concerns.
“Maybe the reason he calls his wife ‘Mother’ is because he can’t remember her name,” Kimmel suggested. Which certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
You can watch the full clip here.