Host country South Korea and North Korea enter as one in the #WinterOlympics #OpeningCeremony. https://t.co/Ay5QOzAHZD pic.twitter.com/PJs8246IMs
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2018
Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence were sent to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea on Friday. The couple was seated between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as just feet away from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong — who, according to the AP, they did not interact with.
But because there is never a moment when this administration doesn’t seem petty and vindictive, when athletes from North and South Korea walked in together, the vice president and “mother” reportedly refused to stand, getting up and applauding only for the United States team.
The gesture of protest smacks of irony, as you’ll recall that back in October, the Pences made a big show of exiting a Colts-49ers game when players for the 49ers took a knee during the national anthem. The peaceful protest was hardly a surprise as the team had been doing it all season, and the move ended up backfiring on the vice president when the price tag for his calculated tantrum surfaced.
As such, many were quick to point out Pence’s hypocrisy on Twitter. And unfortunately, unlike a domestic sporting event, the stakes are much higher here when you’re factoring in diplomacy.
https://twitter.com/ezlusztig/status/962211041936486400
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/962327332747923457
Amazing Mike Pence is still so shook from that Colts game where people refused to stand to respect a flag that he still can’t stand to respect a flag
— Connor Toole (@CTooleSaysStuff) February 10, 2018
Wow North Korea and South Korea walk in under one flag. The whole stadium jumps up and goes crazy. Except Mike Pence and Mother Pence. They just sat there.
— Bobbie Oliver AmazonPrimeGreatestHits (@thebobbieoliver) February 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/gpk3gpk/status/962161758143242241
Pence refuses to stand at sporting event to protest unrelated political issues-just like Kaepernick #TakeAKnee. H/t brilliant @brianbeutler https://t.co/VFUDWL6zod
— Indira Lakshmanan (@Indira_L) February 10, 2018
For a guy who gets so mad about someone taking a knee, he sure is comfortable taking a butt.
⚡️ “Mike Pence takes a cue from Kaepernick and refuses to stand for Team Korea” #Olympics #OpeningCeremony https://t.co/GcHwMnBPjD
— Karen DaltonBeninato (@kbeninato) February 10, 2018
It appears that Mike Pence – who once fled a football game after being offended by NFL players kneeling during the anthem – believes that refusing to stand for something is a viable and acceptable means of protest.
Huh.
— MatthewDicks (@MatthewDicks) February 10, 2018
Pence protesting North Korea after they decided cooperate with South Korea doesn’t make any sense. I have so many questions.
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) February 10, 2018
A White House official later told CNN that Pence was simply cheering for the team that he’s rooting for. “That’s the team he’s going to be cheering for all Olympics. He wants them all to win medals. He’s biased for the Americans.”