Vice President Pence shows alliance with governors, despite Trump's attacks

Days after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, his chief of staff got a call from an aide to Mike Pence asking if Inslee could meet with the vice president.

When Inslee’s office agreed Pence would fly to his state the next day, the aide had to run because Pence was talking to reporters and wanted to announce the trip in the next 30 seconds.

The eagerness of Pence, a former Indiana governor, to reach out to states' chief executives – including those who have gotten crosswise with the administration – was likewise apparent in a comment he made to Inslee.

“We’re governors, and we understand this,” David Postman, Inslee’s chief of staff, remembers Pence saying.

The vice president's natural kinship with governors has helped him pull off the rare feat of pleasing both his boss and those his boss has attacked.