Weather delays Vice President Mike Pence’s travel plans ahead of VMI speech

He was originally supposed to land on parade grounds

LEXINGTON, Va – The vice president’s original travel plans to Lexington didn’t exactly turn out as expected.

Stormy weather in Washington and parts of Southwest Virginia caused Mike Pence and his staff to fly into Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport instead of landing directly on VMI Post as initially planned.

Pence was driven up to Lexington and escorted by a motorcade from the airport upon his arrival just before 2:00 p.m.

Following his speech with the cadets, the vice president flew back to Washington directly from VMI’s campus as the weather improved later in the day.

The cadets who got the chance to hear Pence speak said it was inspirational and gave them hope for their future careers.

“For me and I’m sure a lot of the other cadets that are commissioning, it’s motivating, it’s reassuring and supportive of what we’re going do with our future, so I think that was helpful,” said VMI cadet Anna Armfield.

The vice president took plenty of time to wave to crowds who greeted him upon his arrival and during his departure.


About the Author:

Annie Schroeder joined the 10 News team as a reporter in June 2020 and is no stranger to Southwest Virginia.