What will the Pence presidency be like?

It's no longer so implausible

(Vice) President Mike Pence.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

When President Trump was elected, a lot of liberals confidently predicted that he wouldn't last six months. Being sensible and sober, I thought that was nothing more than wishful thinking. But now? It doesn't seem so implausible.

Even with the Department of Justice's appointment Wednesday of a special prosecutor, Trump's early departure — by impeachment, resignation, or the invocation of the 25th Amendment — is a not sure thing, or even a likelihood. I suspect we're still a few major revelations away from that happening, even if cracks in his Republican support are beginning to appear. The most probable outcome is that this mad circus continues at least until 2020. But as long as we're contemplating that most remarkable of eventualities, it's worth considering: What would a Mike Pence presidency be like?

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.