On Wednesday night, Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, gave a speech at the Republican National Convention where she stuck to the issues that hit close to home. She discussed the plights and successes of a handful of military spouses and, as an art teacher herself, advocated for art therapy as a treatment for PTSD in returning veterans. Delivered from the Mellon Auditorium in D.C., the speech highlighted some of her achievements as second lady, avoided venturing into any of her family’s controversies, and stressed the parts of Donald Trump’s record that the campaign wants you to remember.
And, of course, she showed off a glossy set of highlights and a sleek navy and white dress. A fresh dye job is rare in the pandemic era, but for viewers who haven’t seem much of Pence for the last few years, it might just be shocking. Around the time of Trump’s inauguration, Karen Pence was one of the few women connected to the administration who didn’t have flowing Fox News-esque locks.
Once campaigning for 2020 began in earnest, however, she showed up at Women for Trump events with a brand new hairstyle, eschewing her harsh bob with straight bangs for a shoulder-skimming look with a side part. “She really has had a total makeover, she looks great,” a Pence family friend told Vanity Fair at the time. “She looks like she’s happy, she radiates confidence.” Another source said that Mike Pence plans to essentially start his 2024 campaign on November 4, regardless of who wins.
When USA Today pointed out that Karen Pence had increased her social media presence last fall, she acknowledged their point. “That’s an interesting question to me because I’ve been campaigning since 1987 so it’s kind of funny for people to think that I’m suddenly campaigning,” she said. “It may have that appearance, though, to people.”
Ultimately, if Mike Pence does run for president in 2024, he and his wife will have to answer for plenty of controversies that have nothing to do with what Karen talked about in her RNC speech, from Karen’s job at a school that bans gay teachers and students to the HIV outbreak that happened while he was governor of Indiana. But until then, Karen is hoping that a snappy dress will do the talking.
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