AIAC AT THE ECONOMIC CLUB OF WASHINGTON, D.C. DINNER FOR FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2026 – Washington, DC – AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie joined fellow members, friends and colleagues at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. reception and dinner featuring the Honorable Mike Pence the, 48th Vice President of the United States and Founder of Advancing American Freedom, held on September 16, 2026, at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Vice President Pence was interviewed by David M. Rubenstein, Chairman of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. and Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group.
In their conversation, Vice President Pence discussed his new book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience, published as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. He made the case that the Republican Party must choose enduring conservative principles over the temptations of big-government populism. Drawing on his experience in the first Trump administration and his assessment of the current administration, he reflected on where the Party stands today and where it must go. He also spoke about the changes on both sides of the aisle in recent years and how they may shape the next several election cycles. Asked by Mr. Rubenstein whether he would seek office again, Vice President Pence said he has “no plans” to run in 2028, citing his commitment to Advancing American Freedom and to his family.
At the reception prior to the dinner, Mr. Levie warmly greeted the following attendees:
The Honorable Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States and Founder, Advancing American Freedom
David M. Rubenstein, Chairman, Economic Club of Washington, D.C.; Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group
Mary Brady, President and CEO, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
Marc Short, Former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence
Mark Ein, Chair of Capitol Investment Corp., Washington City Paper, the President’s Export Council, the DC Tennis Open, and Member of the Gridiron Club
For a link to the video of the conversation between David Rubenstein and Vice President Pence, please see: https://www.economicclub.org/events/honorable-mike-pence
Following the event, Mr. Levie commented:
“The measure of a republic is not found in the quiet of its agreements, but in the civility of its debates. For forty years, the Economic Club of Washington has kept that measure high. Under the leadership of David Rubenstein, it has become one of the few places in our capital where leaders of every persuasion gather to listen as well as to speak.
“David has made patriotism a practice. He repaired the Washington Monument after the earthquake of 2011, restored the Lincoln Memorial for generations yet unborn, and placed an original Magna Carta in our National Archives, where every American may see the ancient roots of their liberty. He has cared for Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Montpelier, the homes of the men who imagined this nation. In preserving our past, he has made an investment in our future.
“In his conversation with David, Vice President Mike Pence spoke with conviction about the principles that have guided his life in public service. Drawing on his new book, What Conservatives Believe, he argued that enduring principles must outlast the passing temptations of the moment. He spoke candidly of his years in the White House, of the changes reshaping both of our great parties, and of the choices that lie before them in the elections to come. Whatever one’s own views, one can only admire a man who holds his convictions with both courage and good cheer.
“As our nation approaches its 250th birthday, we would do well to remember that the founders left us an unfinished conversation. At the Economic Club, that conversation was carried forward with honor.”
For further information, please see:
About Mike Pence
Mike Pence served as the 48th Vice President of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He was previously the 50th Governor of Indiana. Before that, he represented Indiana’s East-Central district in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms, rising to chair the House Republican Conference. Born in Columbus, Indiana, he founded Advancing American Freedom, which advocates for faith, family, and liberty as foundational American values. A New York Times bestselling author, he published his third book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience (Center Street, Hachette Book Group), on June 2, 2026. The New York Times named it one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2026.
About David M. Rubenstein
David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest global investment firms, which he co-founded in 1987. He is Chairman of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. A native of Baltimore, he served earlier in his career as Deputy Domestic Policy Assistant to President Jimmy Carter. He is also the controlling owner of the Baltimore Orioles.
Mr. Rubenstein was one of the 40 original signatories of the Giving Pledge. He is widely known for what he calls “patriotic philanthropy,” gifts that remind Americans of the history and heritage of their country. He purchased an original copy of the Magna Carta and placed it on permanent loan at the National Archives. He funded the repair of the Washington Monument after the 2011 earthquake and gave nearly $20 million toward the restoration of the Lincoln Memorial. He has supported Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Montpelier, the homes of the nation’s founders. Most of his giving goes to education and medical research, including major gifts to Duke University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago, and the Institute for Advanced Study, and the funding of the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Mr. Rubenstein has chaired the boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Duke University. He hosts The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations on Bloomberg Television and PBS. He has written several bestselling books on American history and leadership, including The American Story, How to Lead, and The American Experiment.
About the Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. was established in 1986 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. It was created to strengthen ties among the diverse and growing business community of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and with the diplomatic community, and it promotes global awareness of the pivotal role Washington plays in the national and world economies. Its goals are twofold: to provide a prominent forum where eminent global leaders can share their insights about major issues of the day, and to promote a robust peer community for the area’s top executives.
Today the Economic Club has nearly 1,000 members representing businesses and organizations operating across the United States and abroad. Featured speakers in recent years have included the Presidents of the United States, Colombia, and Panama; the Prime Ministers of Finland, Israel, and Singapore; a former Prime Minister of Great Britain; Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives; heads of the Federal Reserve Board; every Secretary of the Treasury since 1986; other Cabinet members and government officials; and leaders of Fortune Global 100 corporations. David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, is the current Chairman.
For further information, please see: www.economicclub.org
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia–New Zealand. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies are also exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial products and serve as critical suppliers for the construction of major airports, schools, hospitals, performing arts and sports centers, offices, and hotels throughout Southeast Asia and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary. AIAC affiliate Metallwarenfabrik Gemmingen GmbH, located in Germany, designs, manufactures, and distributes high performance, emergency portable power generators utilized in global conflict zones and during natural disasters.
For further information, please see: www.aiac.com
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, exploration, and the performing arts. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Français des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, the Trilateral Commission, and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie is a Member of the Board of Trustees of The Explorers Club, its Poet Laureate, and a Member of its Annual Dinner Committee. L. M. Levie also serves as Trustee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, Zoological Society of London, and the Asia Society, and is a member of the Yale CEO Summit.
For further information, see: www.aiac.com | aiac.com/our-values
Media Contact
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+1 787 244 3175 (USA)
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