Former Vice President Mike Pence sported a very different sartorial look on Saturday, trading his conservative blazer for a biker vest at the annual “Roast and Ride” event in Des Moines, Iowa.
“By the way, Pence walked up here with a blazer on — he switched it out for that leather vest there, Neil,” reporter Rich Edson said on Fox’s Cavuto Live.
The vest was embellished with a variety of patches, including one honoring prisoners of war.
Pence shook hands and took photos with participants in front of the Harley Davidson shop, a 10-minute ride from the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The site is the kickoff point for Sen. Joni Ernst‘s (R-IA) annual Roast and Ride event in Des Moines that raises tens of thousands of dollars each year for non-profits.
According to CNN, “The Roast and Ride kicks off a summer of ‘cattle calls’ – gatherings of large crowds of Republicans in states that vote early on the primary calendar.” In addition to Pence, who is expected to declare his candidacy next week, other GOP hopefuls expected to speak at the fairgrounds Saturday included former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arizona governor Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Former president Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, was not expected to appear; he was in Iowa earlier in the week, as was his main challenger, DeSantis. The two
Trump complained on social media this week that the DOJ exonerated Pence in its classified documents probe.
“Just announced that they are not going to bring charges against Mike Pence on the document hoax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That’s great, but when am I going to be fully exonerated, I’m at least as innocent as he is.”
“Mike Pence is the only one of the candidates who’s going to be riding in this event today with Sen. Ernst,” Edson told Neil Cavuto.
This isn’t the first time Pence has hopped on a chopper; Pence rode in the Roast and Ride as a candidate in 2016, and as Vice President in 2017.
Watch the clip above via Fox News.