Former Vice President Mike Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for certifying the 2020 election.
The JFK Library Foundation said in a statement that Pence put his “life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021.”
The Foundation’s Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg said of the award, “Political courage is not outdated in the United States. At every level of government, leaders are putting country first, and not backing down.”
“Despite our political differences, it is hard to imagine an act of greater consequence than Vice President Pence’s decision to certify the 2020 presidential election during an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Upholding his oath to the Constitution and following his conscience, the Vice President put his life, career, and political future on the line,” they stated. “His decision is an example of President Kennedy’s belief that an act of political courage can change the course of history.”
Pence declared that he is “deeply humbled and honored to be the recipient of the Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.”
“I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past,” he said.
The Foundation further commended Pence for remaining “firm in his commitment to democracy.”
The Profile in Courage Award has also been given to former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; and others.
