Mike Pence is basking in the glow of Democrat applause like a traitor who traded loyalty for a shiny medal.

The former vice president, once Trump’s right-hand man, has apparently decided that stabbing his boss in the back is a personality trait worth celebrating.

While nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants have had their lives obliterated by a weaponized FBI for daring to protest—let’s be clear: a protest isn’t an insurrection, even if it involved trespassing in the Capitol—Pence is out collecting awards for “courage” from the same elites who cheer the destruction of those lives.

Upon receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Sunday, Pence told the room of leftist lawmakers that January 6, 2021, "became a triumph of freedom" as Congress returned to do its constitutional duty after the attack on the Capitol.

"Our institutions held that day, not because of any one person, but because leaders in both political parties—Republicans and Democrats—did their duties,” Pence said, accepting the award for rejecting President Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn the fraud-ridden 2020 election.

"So I came tonight to give credit where credit is due, but also to say in these divided times, in these anxious days, I know in my heart that we will find our way forward as one nation," he continued.

Pence’s refusal to heed Trump’s calls to challenge the 2020 election results fractured their relationship.

On January 6, 2021, Pence was presiding over Congress to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory when Trump supporters protested on the Capitol grounds.

Pence, his wife, Karen, and daughter, Charlotte, remained in the Capitol as police clashed with rioters.

Later that night, Pence completed the certification process.

"January 6 was a tragic day," Pence continued in his acceptance speech. "But it became a triumph of freedom. And history will record that our institutions held."

WATCH:

The award, presented by Caroline Kennedy and her son Jack Schlossberg at the JFK Library in Boston, honored Pence for "putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power."

“At the time, I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job," Caroline Kennedy said. "Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.”

Schlossberg added, "Pence put the nation’s interests before his own and saved America that day."

Pence, who ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries but dropped out before voting began, has distanced himself from Trump’s orbit.

He avoided commenting on Trump’s recent pardons of over 1,000 January 6 defendants, whom Trump called “hostages,” or the commutations of others’ sentences.

Pence did, however, critique Trump’s administration on tariffs, its Ukraine policy, and moves to reduce America’s global role.

"Now people who know me know I’m a conservative, but I’m not in a bad mood about it,” Pence told the audience. “But I also have differences with members of my own party, on spending and tariffs, and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must continue to stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured."

Despite the Secret Service urging evacuation during the Capitol breach, Pence, Karen, and Charlotte stayed, coordinating with military and congressional leaders.

"When I think of that fateful day four years ago, the only heroes I saw were wearing uniforms," Pence said, praising the US Capitol Police.

He also credited his family and two aides, while claiming he felt "profoundly unworthy" of the award, noting John F. Kennedy’s influence on his public service.

"To be here tonight, bearing witness to a journey that President Kennedy helped inspire in my small life, is more meaningful than I can possibly express,” he said.

The Profile in Courage Award, named after Kennedy’s 1957 book, honors public servants who risk their careers for principled stands.

Caroline Kennedy noted the current "political climate of fear," saying, “We are especially grateful for your presence this year, as many are afraid to speak out or show up."

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey praised Pence as "a profile in courage [for] standing up against a leader of his own party."

Comedian David Letterman, also present, said, "In this day and age, courage needs to be identified and celebrated in this way. It didn’t used to be that way."

Pence's “heroic” stand might’ve secured him a footnote in the Kennedy family scrapbook, but it’s also left him a pariah among Republicans, with a measly 12% favorability rating to show for it.

While Pence basks in the glow of elite approval, nearly 1,600 January 6 protesters—ordinary Americans who dared to question the 2020 election—rot under the weight of a weaponized justice system.

Courage? Maybe. Convenient betrayal? Definitely.