Former Vice President Mike Pence pretended to fill a pickup truck with gas in a 2024 presidential campaign video released on Tuesday.
“Hey everybody. Mike Pence here,” he said in the video as he exited a red pickup truck and inserted the gas nozzle into his fuel tank. “Remember $2 a gallon gas? I do. And then Joe Biden became president of the United States and launched his war on energy. Since that time, gasoline prices are up 60%, electricity prices are up 25%.”
Pence then unveiled his “Pence Plan” for American energy and vowed to “reclaim America’s role as the leading producer of energy in the world” by 2040 if elected president.
While Pence held the nozzle to his truck for almost a minute, it became immediately apparent that the former vice president was not actually filling up the vehicle.
Throughout the video, the gas pump could be heard beeping, as if to prompt Pence to select a grade. More crucially, he could be seen holding the handle without even squeezing the trigger.
Social media users were quick to pick up on the performance and ridicule Pence.
However, Pence is not the only 2024 Republican presidential candidate to have been mocked or criticized over a campaign ad in recent months. Pence’s Republican primary rival Ron DeSantis has suffered several blows in that department.
According to RealClearPolitics, Pence is currently fourth in the 2024 Republican primary at a poll average of 5.1%, while his 2016 and 2020 running mate, former President Donald Trump, is leading the race at 53.7%.
Watch above via Mike Pence.