Mike Pence Disappointed in Husbands Over Women’s March-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Vice President Mike Pence voiced disappointment in the 200,000 husbands and fathers who let their wives and daughters attend the Women’s March a day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Truth:
Claims that Vice President Mike Pence said he was disappointed in the 200,000 husbands and fathers who permitted women to take part in the Women’s March stem from a work of satire that has been confused with a factual news report.
The Onion, a well-known satirical news site, published the report on January 21, 2017, under the headline, “Mike Pence Disappointed in the 200,000 Husbands and Fathers Who Permitted Women to Attend March.” The article begins:
WASHINGTON—Admonishing those responsible for failing to uphold their moral duties, Vice President Mike Pence expressed disappointment Saturday in the 200,000 husbands and fathers who had allowed the women and girls in their charge to attend the Women’s March on Washington. “I can’t tell you how let down I feel by the heads of these households who did not simply give their wives and daughters a firm, decisive ‘no’ when they asked to participate in today’s demonstration,” said Pence, noting with frustration that many of the protesters had been granted permission to travel across the country alone and stay for several days in a faraway city with no male chaperone whatsoever to guide and look after them.
The article was widely circulated on social media. The joke was lost on some, however. Those who read the headline without clicking through or double-checking where the article came from took the satirical report at face value. However, The Onion has been a source of satire for decades, and Mike Pence didn’t say he was disappointed in husbands and fathers for letting the Women’s March happen.