Family is key to America’s strength, says Mike Pence as new book ‘Go Home for Dinner’ is published

“The destiny of America is in the hands of the American people, and the strength of America is ultimately grounded in the strength of the American family,” writes former Vice President Mike Pence and his daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, in their new book, “Go Home for Dinner: Advice on How Faith Makes a Family and Family Makes a Life” (Simon & Schuster, Nov. 14).

Those themes sounded strongly during an interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning as well as in their “Fox & Friends” appearance to discuss the new project.

“My daughter is really an accomplished author,” the former vice president told Fox News Digital about the new book, referencing an earlier book of hers, “Where You Go: Life Lessons From My Father,” as well as her Marlon Bundo series of children’s books.

“And when I signed a deal with Simon & Schuster for two books, an autobiography and then a book on family, there was no one else that I wanted to work with other than my daughter because of her talent and because she’s lived this.”

The personal stories, anecdotes and beliefs that they reveal, he said, “were stories that she lived. And this is a book really from our family.”

The vice president said a good friend suggested that he write about “how you have a marriage and a family life like you have while also living the crazy life” of a politician for so many years.

“And in all those years,” said Pence, “we tried to take those principles [of putting family first] that came out of our faith and put them into practice — and you know, I hope it’s an encouragement to people around the country to do just the same.”

He added that he did so “in the spirit of humility.”

Pence and his daughter also do not mince words about the nation’s very serious problems.

They sound an alarm that “the American family is in free fall. Marriage is on the decline, and raising children is seen as more of a burden than a blessing. People are spending less time with their loved ones, and a report by the U.S. surgeon general announced that this country is facing an ‘epidemic of loneliness and isolation.’ … It’s clear that families are in trouble. And when families are in trouble, America is in trouble.”

In 48 chapters, the 48th vice president of the U.S. and his daughter sketch out real-life experiences, adventures and interactions that have formed the fabric of the Pence family’s life — with keen insights for others to consider.

Charlotte Pence Bond told Fox News Digital, “The structure kind of came together as we were writing the book. A lot of times it was the lesson that came out of the story — and sometimes they were synonymous.”

“My dad would have an idea for the lesson — and we would know” the stories that worked, she continued.

“It was pretty natural how it happened, and it’s just a way that I feel that we look at life. We looked for the lessons and the stories.”

“I’ve made it very clear that we’re going to continue to fight for conservative values and continue to work to elect principled Republicans at every level around the country.”

Among the topics is “Take Time to Pay Your Respects.” The former vice president recounts visiting the final resting places of such figures as Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, plus Calvin Coolidge, James Madison and Ronald Reagan.

It’s “the right and honorable” thing to do, he says in the book — “but it also makes these remarkable Americans more real to us.”

Today, “it seems that people are more interested in tearing down monuments rather than honoring people from the past and using their example to find answers for our future.”

He told Fox News Digital that he and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, always tried to share with their three kids the importance of honoring others who sacrificed for this nation.

“And one of the first places we visited as a family when I was elected to Congress,” he said, “was Arlington National Cemetery” and taking in “the somber white crosses marking the final resting places of American heroes of every war our country has fought since the Civil War,” he wrote.

“I always thought it was important not just to visit these sites but to take a moment to pay respects — to take a moment for prayer, for reflection and for gratitude. And these final resting places to me have been very deeply meaningful. It’s something that I think we do well to remember.”

“I became a mom this year, and so I would put down my computer and play with my daughter and be with her — and put her first as I was writing a book about putting family first.”

Charlotte Pence Bond noted that throughout the process of writing the book with her father, she was constantly learning.

“I became a mom this year, and so I would put down my computer and play with my daughter and be with her — and put her first as I was writing a book about putting family first,” she said with a chuckle. “So, it was a good lesson for me to learn along the way, and I think I’ll continue to learn those lessons for a long time.”

Mike Pence said it was “a blessing” to work with his daughter and that today some of his favorite pictures are of the two of them working on Zoom together as his granddaughter, Etta, born in February, sat propped on her mom’s lap during some of their work on the manuscript.

“We actually thought she should have gotten a credit in the book,” he said.

With Pence suspending his 2024 presidential bid on Oct. 28, Fox News Digital asked him if he plans to support the eventual GOP nominee.

“I haven’t decided whether, or to what extent, I’m going to weigh in on the presidential campaign,” he responded.

“We’re taking some time to reflect on where we might best have impact.”

“We felt called to run,” he said. “And as I reflected a few weeks ago, the Bible says there’s a time for every purpose under heaven — and we had come to conclude that this was not my time.”

However, he said, “I’ve made it very clear that we’re going to continue to fight for conservative values and continue to work to elect principled Republicans at every level around the country.”

As his family “readjusts” to private life, he said that “we’re taking some time to reflect on where we might best have impact. And I’m going to continue to talk to people across the board, but I’m absolutely determined to do my part to make sure that we turn this country around and restore America’s strength and prosperity and security.”

He added, “I really do believe that it’s not just the people that we elect and the laws that we pass, but more profoundly, by restoring the faith and the families of America, we will really restore our nation for generations to come.”

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