Vice President Mike Pence was involved in a minor traffic accident Thursday morning while driving through western Pennsylvania.
The campaign bus the 61-year-old was touring in on his way to an event in Greensburg reportedly swiped a dump truck on its side, bending the side fender of the vehicle. The vice president was transferred to a limo and continued his journey. No injuries were reported.
Elizabeth Crisp, a journalist with Newsweek followed-up on the incident in a series of posts on Twitter. She said, “it’s been an eventful start to this ‘bus tour’ to say the least.”
“The Pence motorcade has now abandoned the bus after a minor accident on a tight curve,” she wrote.
In another post, she said she “personally saw the driver of the truck get out and yell in the middle of the street before moving a nearby parking lot to talk to authorities. He was NOT happy.”
The motorcade accompanying the campaign bus involved in the accident was also involved in another incident later that same morning after some motorcycles in the security detail reportedly went down, causing another travel delay, the New York Post reported.
All of the accidents happened while Pence was on his way to a “Cops for Trump” rally in Greensburg. He is also scheduled to tour the Guy Chemical Company in Somerset later in the day.
The vice president thanked everyone involved on Twitter and explained he is “grateful for all of the law enforcement officers who support us and help get us safely to where we are going each day.”
Grateful for all of the law enforcement officers who support us and help get us safely to where we are going each day. Thank you for all you do!
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 30, 2020
At the “Cops for Trump” event, Pence addressed the administration’s support and the importance of police, as well as President Donald Trump’s policies on a range of issues, news agency TribLive reported.
“Law enforcement isn’t the problem,” he said. “Law enforcement is the solution.”
Pence also promised the people in attendance the Trump administration will continue their support of law enforcement nationwide
When Democrats call for defunding the police, remember what’s at stake: law and order, safety, and the peace of mind that you and your family have every right to enjoy as citizens of the greatest Nation on earth. We’re not going to defund the police, not now, not EVER. pic.twitter.com/wxnolDQMNO
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 30, 2020
“When Democrats call for defunding the police, remember what’s at stake: law and order, safety, and the peace of mind that you and your family have every right to enjoy as citizens of the greatest Nation on earth,” Pence wrote on Twitter. “We’re not going to defund the police, not now, not EVER.”
About 400 people attended the “Cops for Trump” rally and prior to Pence’s speech officials announced to remember the social distancing requirements and wearing masks, TribLive reported.