Former Vice President Mike Pence to receive John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award

WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Mike Pence will receive the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for “putting his life and career on the line” to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in 2021, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced on Thursday.

Pence publicly split with President Donald Trump after Trump pressured Pence to reject electoral votes won by then President-elect Joe Biden following the 2020 election. Pence refused to follow through, upholding the election results on Jan. 6, 2021.

The award Pence is receiving is presented to those “who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences,” according to a news release from the foundation.

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the former President John F. Kennedy, and Jack Schlossberg, her son, said in a statement that Pence’s decision “is an example of President Kennedy’s belief that an act of political courage can change the course of history.”

“Upholding his oath to the Constitution and following his conscience, the Vice President put his life, career, and political future on the line,” they said.

Past recipients of the award include former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, according to the news release. 

Pence said in a statement that he was “deeply humbled and honored” to be a recipient of the award. 

“I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past,” he said. 

Caroline Kennedy and Schlossberg will present the award to Pence on May 4 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.