It was said by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s No. 2 that the vice presidency “is not worth a bucket of warm spit,” but it does come with some pretty special perks, including offices in the West Wing and the U.S. Senate, where Vice President Mike Pence went to cast last week’s deciding vote for new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
But the nicest perk of all is the veep’s ceremonial office next to the White House inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Long the Navy secretary’s office and where former President Theodore Roosevelt served also as vice president, it is decorated with ornamental stenciling, allegorical symbols of the Navy and a mahogany floor.
And, of course, a portrait of Teddy Roosevelt.
We hear that when Pence arrived, he planned to show continuity by keeping some decorations used by former Vice President Joe Biden. Upon seeing the Teddy Roosevelt portrait, he said, “I love Teddy Roosevelt. I want that portrait to stay here.”
To which a White House staffer said, “Actually, sir, this is Teddy Roosevelt’s office and this portrait stays there whether you like it or not.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
