Mike Pence's 10 Commandments

"I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," said Mike Pence in 2016 after accepting a vice president nomination that he is preparing to revalidate this Wednesday, with his speech at the Republican National Convention. In these four years, Pence (Columbus, Indiana, 1959) has exhibited absolute loyalty to President Trump, which has generated him a shadow power to advance his conservative agenda. The vice president has been tasked with coordinating the greatest crisis the country has faced in its recent history: the coronavirus pandemic. "No one can serve two masters," says the Bible, but Pence has served God and Trump, guided by at least these 10 principles:

1. You will be attentive to the signs. A convert to evangelical Christianity and Reagan's conservatism in college, Mike Pence failed twice, in 1988 and 1990, in his bid to win a seat in Congress. Then he decided to take his culture war to the radio, with a show whose success would end up opening the doors of the Capitol. When a vacancy came up for the 2000 election, Pence went on vacation with his family. He was riding with his wife through the mountains of Colorado, they looked up at the sky and saw two redstart hawks soaring above their heads. They understood that this was a sign, his wife would explain later. Pence introduced himself and, this time, he did get his seat.

2. You will fight against the rights of homosexuals. During his years as a congressman, between 2001 and 2013, Pence raised the banner of the fight against equal marriage. He was governor of Indiana when, in March 2015, same-sex marriage was about to become legal across the United States. But today's vice president resisted. He signed a law that allowed companies to cite religious objections to discriminate against LGBT customers. Popular pressure ended up forcing him to correct the rule.

3. You will trust in the possibility of divine intervention. Just a year before he became vice president, Governor Pence's political career had the same dark horizon as the influence of the conservative Christian movement, ostracized for eight years by Obama. But the ways of the Lord are inscrutable, and it had to be an icon of frivolity, cover of Playboy and collector of lovers who in the summer of 2016 offered him salvation in the form of a nomination for vice president. The interest of the deal was clear in both directions: for Trump it offered a direct bridge to a world of the religious right that was alien to him, but that he needed to win. For Pence and Christian conservatism it provided the possibility of regaining influence.

4. You will fight against the right to abortion. Pence has fulfilled with scrupulous zeal the role of clapper of a president addicted to flattery. Only when it comes to the battle to limit abortion rights does the vice president take the lead, even on the thorny terrain of going in to weigh the decisions of the sacrosanct Supreme Court. Last time this summer, he referred to the Chief Justice John Roberts as "a disappointment to conservatives," after the magistrate sided with his four progressive colleagues on various decisions, including one on a law intended to limit the right to abortion in Louisiana.

5. You will be faithful. He has shown absolute loyalty to the boss. And that has made Pence one of the most influential people in the White House. Maintaining the president's favor has required frequent gestures of submission that Pence has accepted without question. Trump, for his part, has not always observed reciprocity. In the White House, they talk about his mockery of Pence's religiosity. In a piece in The New Yorker it was claimed that often, when Trump receives a guest who has just been with Pence, he asks him: "Did he make you pray?"

6. You will discreetly pursue your own agenda. Having him in the White House has been a boon to Christian conservatism, as prominent evangelical leaders have recognized. Pence, the only member of the Administration that the President cannot fire, has taken on a significant workload and enjoyed an unprecedented level of autonomy. And, with federal investigations of the president and even an impeachment process , he has been closer than many of his predecessors to performing the main constitutional function of the vice presidency: to replace the president in the event that he leaves office.

7. You will assume the great responsibility of the Administration. At the end of February, the president tasked Pence with coordinating the government's response to the coronavirus crisis, the biggest challenge the Administration has ever faced. Many thought that the president was looking for a figure on which to discharge responsibilities if things went wrong. Despite the chaos of the response, the vice president has avoided criticism of the management.

8. You will be a good 'cop'. Pence has done a commendable exercise in sticking to the chaotic script imposed by the president, while trying to keep his sanity. It is he who spoke with the governors of the States to solve the problems. Many acknowledge that the perennial praise for the president's leadership on camera is complemented by an increased waistline to try to fix things behind the scenes.

9. You will understand the limitations of your position. Despite the magnitude of the responsibility entrusted, Pence knows that he is nothing more than an achiever of the president. That it cannot contradict your falsehoods or force you to endorse expert-recommended guidelines. His seriousness and empathy, in contrast to the attitude of the president, earned him praise from different fronts. So much so that Trump himself, fearful of losing the spotlight, soon decided to take command of the coronavirus briefings.

10. You will surround your presidential aspirations with mystery. The aspirations of a loyal vice president are obviously of interest. His loyalty to Trump has also fueled his own ambitions, in a party that the leader has ended up shaping in his image and likeness. If Trump loses in November, Pence's options are slimmer. But four more years in power could strengthen an eventual presidential race. It is true that he does not generate enthusiasm, but many conservatives would feel more comfortable rowing for him than for Donald Trump.