Pence won't be much better once Trump is gone. The minute I saw and heard him for the first time after Trump selected him for his running mate, I thought that's what Margaret Atwood (another great Canadian) must have had in mind when she created the Commander character in The Handmaid's Tale. (His frumpy wife also looks like a Martha.) Then lo and behold, the book was turned into a television series, and it was in the works while Trump was still a candidate.
We definitely have many of the elements in place for those currently in power to try for a Theocracy.