Charlotte Pence Bond (born Charlotte Rose Pence; June 25, 1993) is an American writer who is the second child and elder daughter of former
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...
and former
Second Lady of the United States
The second gentleman or second lady of the United States (SGOTUS or SLOTUS respectively) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. Coined in contrast ...
,
Karen Pence
Karen Sue Pence ( Batten, formerly Whitaker; born January 1, 1957) is an American schoolteacher, painter, and was the second lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is married to the 48th vice president of the United States, Mike Penc ...
.
Pence graduated from
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
. She wrote articles for ''
The DePaulia
''The DePaulia'' is an entirely student-run weekly newspaper from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
External links''The DePaulia''
DePaul University
Student newspapers published in Illinois
{{Illinois-newspaper-stub ...
'', ''
Thought Catalog
''Thought Catalog'' is a website founded in 2010 by American entrepreneur and media strategist Chris Lavergne.Newton, MattheThought Catalog And The New Age Of Confessional Media''Forbes.'' June 7, 2015 Owned by The Thought & Expression Compan ...
'' and ''
Glamour
Glamour may refer to:
Arts
Film
* ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film
* ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film
* ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film
Writing
* ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women
* ''The Glamour ...
'', fiction articles for ''
The Isis Magazine
''The Isis'' is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper '' Cherwell'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxfor ...
'', and poems for ''Seven Voices'' published by
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. Pence did film production internships while in college, and won a 2014
Emmy Award for the Lower Great Lakes region for a film she co-wrote and for which she was an associate producer.
She is the author of children's book ''
Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President
''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President'' is a 2018 children's book by Charlotte Pence as author and Karen Pence as illustrator. It details a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, pet rabbit of Vice President of the Unit ...
'', published in 2018. , she is a contributor to the
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
news website
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
''
The Daily Wire
''The Daily Wire'' is an American conservative news website and media company founded in 2015 by political commentator Ben Shapiro and film director Jeremy Boreing. The company is a major publisher on Facebook, and produces podcasts such as ' ...
''.
Early life and education
Pence grew up with her parents and siblings in
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissio ...
.
Her father
Mike
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
encouraged her to be a writer and "cherished" a biography she wrote of him when she was 7.
Her mother
Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
said that she was a storyteller since she could talk.
:1 Pence described her family as "very, very close" and said that "
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
talk about everything together".
She said that she and her siblings could choose how involved in politics they would be;
Pence told
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American attorney, businessman, columnist, conservative political commentator, and media personality. At age 17, he became the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. ...
in an interview in 2018 that as children they could be included in an event only if they wanted to.
She said that they have political debates in their house and on the phone.
:1:31
Pence spent her junior year at
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
studying a semester in English and Philosophy abroad at
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is the newest college admitting both undergraduate and graduate students. Tracing its roots back to 1868 (although th ...
.
At DePaul, Pence was involved with the school ministry, a student group that addresses
violence in Chicago, and creative writing and film communities; she worked on documentary projects, one of which won nine regional
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, and joined the
Chi Omega
Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities.
Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chapte ...
sorority.
She graduated with a double major in Digital Cinema – Screenwriting, and English – Creative Writing from
DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Cath ...
in June 2016.
In September 2020, Pence was attending her second year at the
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...
, for a master's degree.
Career
Pence did film production internships while in college.
In 2013, she interned at
WFYI, a public broadcasting station in central Indiana, working in the television production department.
Pence was the associate producer and co-writer of the 2013 documentary film ''Fleeced: Speaking Out Against Senior Financial Abuse'', which highlights "the stories of seniors who have been scammed by financial predators".
The film won a 2014
Emmy award for the Lower Great Lakes region.
Pence has since worked on several documentary and short film projects.
She said in 2016 that she "
anted
Anted is the name of the coins issued by Antedios
Antedios or Anted
homepages.rpi.edu was an ancient k ...
to go into the creative side of film production, looking at stories and books and scripts and real life stories and taking those to the screen".
Pence's biography for the documentary film ''For the Records'' states, "She hopes to pursue a career in writing for film and documentaries after college."
Pence is a writer and has published poems, short stories and articles.
In 2014, she wrote an article for ''
Thought Catalog
''Thought Catalog'' is a website founded in 2010 by American entrepreneur and media strategist Chris Lavergne.Newton, MattheThought Catalog And The New Age Of Confessional Media''Forbes.'' June 7, 2015 Owned by The Thought & Expression Compan ...
'' about her religious beliefs.
In 2015, Pence wrote a column for DePaul University's ''
The DePaulia
''The DePaulia'' is an entirely student-run weekly newspaper from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
External links''The DePaulia''
DePaul University
Student newspapers published in Illinois
{{Illinois-newspaper-stub ...
'' about her studying abroad at Oxford University.
In it, she talks about "finding a running path and learning to navigate the pubs".
Also in 2015, Pence published several poems for the Oxford blog ''Seven Voices'' and fiction pieces for ''
The Isis Magazine
''The Isis'' is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper '' Cherwell'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxfor ...
'', an independent UK student magazine.
She wrote an essay for ''
Glamour
Glamour may refer to:
Arts
Film
* ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film
* ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film
* ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film
Writing
* ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women
* ''The Glamour ...
'' that was released Tuesday ahead of her father's prime time debate as the Republican vice presidential candidate of the
2016 Donald Trump presidential campaign
The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state prim ...
.
In the essay, Pence wrote about the lessons she had learned from her father.
She described her lifestyle changes after her father became Trump's running mate in July, writing, "I went from taking public transit in Chicago to riding in a presidential motorcade in the span of just a few months."
Early August 2016, Pence started travelling around the U.S. with her father on his campaign trail, which included the
2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Lo ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
Pence's recent graduation gave her time to travel the country and she joked that her role on the campaign trail was to "babysit her parents".
Charlotte said that she was the only one of her siblings to be home at the time of the nomination.
:1 Pence described herself politically as "more of a moderate or independent" and said that she does not always agree with the policies of her father and Trump, adding "I think I have views that go across the board", which she says has been encouraged by her parents.
In 2018, Pence said that her father tells her, regarding the public criticism and protests against him, "That's what freedom looks like."
:29
Since the inauguration, Pence helped provide a "support system for her parents", without taking official roles, while working full-time in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
at a film production company.
In September 2017, Pence started an agent training program at the
United Talent Agency
United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. U ...
.
Marlon Bundo
In 2013, Pence needed a
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
for a short film project as a freshman at DePaul, and she bought a black and white rabbit from
Craigslist
Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, Gig worker, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
Craig Newmark ...
.
Pence named the rabbit 'Marlon Bundo' after
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
, as Pence's friend noticed the similarity between Brando's phrase "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" from ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...
'' and the rabbit's seller's response "Make me an offer" to a message about the price.
Speaking to the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' she recalled: "We drove out to the suburbs, my friends and I, and we picked him up. I think he was like $20. He was in the short film, and I just kept him after that."
Bundo lived with Pence throughout college for four years, and continued to live with the Pences at
Number One Observatory Circle
Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of the vice president of the United States. Located on the northeast grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the house was built in 1893 for the observatory superintenden ...
afterwards.
:2 Pence created an Instagram account for Bundo "right after
erdad was inaugurated
ice President
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
, "not knowing if anybody would follow it".
Pence and her mother thought about creating a children's book, following Bundo's popularity on Instagram and because Karen is a
watercolor
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
painter.
Pence told ''
The Denver Post
''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...
'' that she "really
ikeschildren's literature and middle-grade fiction" and had "always wanted to be a writer".
Pence told Andrew Klavan in a 2018 interview that she could also write non-fiction and write for adults.
:35
On March 19, 2018, the children's picture book ''
Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President
''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President'' is a 2018 children's book by Charlotte Pence as author and Karen Pence as illustrator. It details a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, pet rabbit of Vice President of the Unit ...
'' was released.
It was written by Charlotte and illustrated by Karen.
The picture book tells the story of Bundo observing the
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
's daily activities.
Pence said that they'd "love to do something for a sequel".
Proceeds from the picture book go to benefit
art therapy
Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...
programs, and
The A21 Campaign
The A21 Campaign (commonly referred to as "A21") is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, forced slave labor, bonded labor, involuntary do ...
, which works to combat
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
;
Charlotte Pence picked the latter charity because of her prior experience with the organization.
As a "jab" at Mike Pence's opposition to
LGBT rights in the United States
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States are among the most socially, culturally, and legally permissive and advanced in the world, with public opinion and jurisprudence on the issue changing significantly si ...
, a parody of the picture book titled ''
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is a 2018 children's book written by Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller (a pseudonym of Gerald Kelley). The book is about a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of forme ...
'', authored by ''
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last Wee ...
'' comedy writer
Jill Twiss
Jill Twiss is an American writer best known for her work on the HBO show '' Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'' She is a senior writer on the show and she portrays its "Janice from Accounting" character. She authored a children's book called '' A ...
and illustrated by
Gerald Kelley
Gerald Kelley is an American children's book illustrator. He works in an elaborate style with water color and precise detail. Kelley is known for his work on James Bowen (author), James Bowen's ''Bob the Cat'' series and ''A Day in the Life of Ma ...
, was published by
Chronicle Books
Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children.
The company was established in 1967 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. ...
a day before.
In the parody book, Bundo falls in love with a rabbit named Wesley, but a stink bug resembling Mike Pence decrees that male rabbits cannot marry each other.
[ Proceeds from the parody book go to benefit ]The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number wher ...
, which runs a crisis hotline
A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the E ...
for members of the LGBTQ
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
community, and AIDS United
AIDS United is a national non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that is dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic in the United States.
History and mission
AIDS United was born out of a merger between two Washington, DC-based organization ...
. The picture book and the parody book reached the fourth and the first spot, respectively, on Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
's best-selling books list. As of late March 2018, Pence's book and Twiss's book sold approximately 100,000 and 400,000 copies, respectively, and were respectively No. 5 and No. 6 Children's Picture Books on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Pence reacted positively to the parody book, saying:
I think imitation is the most sincere form of flattery in a way. But in all seriousness, his book is contributing to charities that I think we can all get behind. We have two books that are giving to charities that are both about bunnies, so I'm all for it, really.
Personal life
Pence became engaged to Navy lieutenant Henry Bond in July 2019, and they married in December of that year.
References
External links
*
*
''An American at Oxford''
''The DePaulia
''The DePaulia'' is an entirely student-run weekly newspaper from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
External links''The DePaulia''
DePaul University
Student newspapers published in Illinois
{{Illinois-newspaper-stub ...
'' (2015). DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
.
"Believing In God And Other 21st Century Burdens"
''Thought Catalog
''Thought Catalog'' is a website founded in 2010 by American entrepreneur and media strategist Chris Lavergne.Newton, MattheThought Catalog And The New Age Of Confessional Media''Forbes.'' June 7, 2015 Owned by The Thought & Expression Compan ...
''. July 17, 2014.
"Mike Pence's Daughter Reveals the Lessons Her Father Taught Her"
''Glamour
Glamour may refer to:
Arts
Film
* ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film
* ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film
* ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film
Writing
* ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women
* ''The Glamour ...
''. October 4, 2016.
Fiction pieces by Pence
''The Isis Magazine
''The Isis'' is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper '' Cherwell'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxfor ...
'' (2015).
Poems by Pence
''Seven Voices'' (2015). University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pence, Charlotte
1993 births
21st-century American writers
21st-century American women writers
American children's writers
American women children's writers
Children of vice presidents of the United States
Daughters of national leaders
DePaul University alumni
Harvard Divinity School alumni
Living people
Pence family
People from Arlington County, Virginia
People from Columbus, Indiana
Writers from Virginia
Writers from Indianapolis
Writers from Chicago
Indiana Republicans