Re: #24 and #39
A politician may want to be careful to avoid any situation that gives the appearance of anything that could be fodder for wild conspiracy theories and other unwanted speculation. However, if that was Pence’s motivation, saying his rule in the way he did, rather than quietly avoiding situations which could be problematic appearance-wise (which may or may not fall under his stated rule), is itself fodder for unwanted speculation (about his views on gender roles and the like).