It took a surprisingly long time, about 20 seconds. They grasped each other’s hands as they leaned in to whisper. The former vice president and former speaker of the House paused to hug before they were presented with the inaugural Yale Patriot Public Service Award.
When Nancy Pelosi entered the room more than halfway through the event, there was silence in the crowd and everyone turned around. She made her way through the front, shaking hands, exchanging whispers and quick hugs with familiar faces; There seemed to be several of them in the crowd. What was most surprising, however, was when she finally found her seat next to former Vice President Mike Pence. The two have often sat side by side, famously behind Trump during his State of the Union address in 2020, when she tore the president’s speech in half while Pence looked on disparagingly.
The Speaker Emeritus of the House of Representatives – who is finishing her final term after nearly four decades representing San Francisco – and the former Vice President – who spent January 6, 2021 defying his own President’s call to overturn a certified election – met in Washington DC at the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute led by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Lester Crown Professor of Management Practice and Senior Associate Dean at the Yale School of Management.
We watched it happen from the ground Assets‘s representative at the closed-door meeting, the confidential ground rules of which have been waived by all persons referred to in this article. Whatever else may divide them, the two stood side by side as the first recipients of the Yale Patriot Public Service Award for Executive Leadership, which was based on the idea that they had put the country above their party and themselves. It was “shocking, historic and emotional for everyone,” said Sonnenfeld Assets the unexpected hug. Pence later posted about the event on X.com.
Two awards, one thesis
The award, presented this year to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, went to Pelosi for “Legislative Leadership” and to Pence for “Executive Leadership.” Sonnenfeld, who has led the biannual CEO Caucus for decades, specifically designed the awards to “honor Americans of both parties who have dedicated their lives to public service and delivered it with integrity, civility and devotion to the country above party.”
The moderator list was a stand-alone cross-party meeting. Former Democratic House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt spoke powerfully about how Pence put “country over party and, more importantly, country over self.” He told the room: “Mike Pence is a patriot. He has good character. He did the right thing. He stood up for the Constitution, he stood up for the laws of this country and he saved this democracy.”
Carla Hills, a Republican who served as U.S. Trade Representative and HUD secretary, made a similar case for Pelosi: “In these highly partisan days, Nancy Pelosi was truly a model of outstanding government,” she said. “She represents principled positions. Politics comes before politics. And politics comes before her own re-election needs.”
Former Federal Reserve Chair and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who was unable to attend in person, sent a pre-recorded tribute in which she praised Pelosi’s “remarkable ability to look at seemingly impossible policy situations, figure out what can actually be done, and then somehow get it done,” adding that “all of these policy skills are based on a very clear sense of purpose and a strong moral compass.”
Other attendees who broke the confidential ground rules to express support for the awards included former HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Chief Executive Group CEO Marshall Cooper, USA Networks founder Kay Koplovitz and American Industrial Acquisition Chairman Leonard Levie.
Sonnenfeld spoke about her behavior at the summit Assets“Many were shocked and all were moved by this historic embrace of longtime political rivals who are titans of their respective political parties.” He said he hoped it could provide a “much-needed path for business leaders to navigate their businesses through the anxieties of the next few weeks and perhaps the next few months of a divided nation.”
A “living memory”
The tributes to Pelosi and Pence were the emotional centerpiece of a gathering otherwise filled with anxiety: about the ongoing war in Iran, Trump’s upcoming visit to China and the impact of AI on jobs and markets. And yet both Pence and Pelosi cracked a few jokes, in keeping with Sonnenfeld’s tone as a freewheeling master of ceremonies.
AssetsDiane Brady wrote this morning that she “I did not expect to return from the Yale CEO Caucus in Washington more hopeful than when I arrived,” crediting the standing ovation for Pence and Pelosi as evidence that “what unites them is not their politics, but their commitment to the Constitution, public service, integrity, and something bigger than themselves.”
The reactions of other participants reflected this relief. Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said manufacturers are “facing enormous uncertainty, driven largely by populism and extreme partisanship.” He called the joint honor a “vivid reminder that our nation is at its best when our leaders work together to advance America’s highest ideals.”
Robert Hormats, who served as a senior economic official at the State Department in five administrations, was more blunt, describing Pence and Pelosi as “HEROES WHO SAVED OUR DEMOCRACY THAT DAY. … A TRULY UNFORGETTABLE DAY.”