Washington (CNN) The New York Times published a story over the weekend detailing the "shadow" campaign underway among ambitious Republicans to be prepared in the event that President Donald Trump doesn't run for a second term in 2020.

The story mentioned that Vice President Mike Pence's "schedule is so full of political events that Republicans joke that he is acting more like a second-term vice president hoping to clear the field than a No. 2 sworn in a little over six months ago."

And that Pence -- via aides -- is making sure he's first in line if Trump bows out; "multiple advisers to Mr. Pence have already intimated to party donors that he would plan to run if Mr. Trump did not," wrote Timesmen Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns.

In reaction to the story, Pence -- and this is no exaggeration -- went bananas. He released a statement through the vice president's office insisting that the Times story was "disgraceful and offensive to me, my family, and our entire team." He also called it "laughable and absurd" that he was doing anything in regard to 2020 other than working to ensure Trump wins a second term.

Pence's reaction was far more aggressive than the others -- Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, as well as Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- mentioned in the story as laying the groundwork to be ready if Trump exits after a single term. (This may all be a moot conversation, given that Trump insists he is running in 2020 and has already raised about $17 million for his re-election race .)

Pence's (over)reaction raises a simple question: Why?

And the answer starts with "Donald" and ends with "Trump."

Pence's political fortunes are 100% tied to Trump. They have been since the day the then-Indiana governor said "yes" to Trump's offer to share the ticket. On that day, Pence became a stranger to the GOP political establishment that was still very leery of the idea of Trump as the party nominee.

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That estrangement has only continued since Trump became President. Pence has been an unquestioning Trump ally at every turn, insisting that the President knows exactly what he's doing -- and either ignoring or rebutting the criticism leveled at Trump by many of the people Pence once served with. (Remember that Pence was a member of the House Republican leadership before leaving to run for governor in 2012.)

Pence, in other words, is all in on Trump. His path to become president is to be the Trump-endorsed candidate, the heir to the movement that Trump built during the 2016 campaign. And to do that, Pence absolutely must make sure there is never any distance between him and the President.

It's doubly important for no one to be able to slip a piece of paper between Pence and the President because the President is Donald Trump. Trump is forever watching to make sure no one in his world is eclipsing him -- or even trying to. The unforgivable sin in Trump's world isn't saying or doing impolitic things, it's appearing to be something short of entirely loyal.

Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence announces that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services had approved the State's waiver request for the plan his administration called HIP 2.0 during a speech in Indianapolis on January 27, 2015. Hide Caption 1 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence, then the Republican candidate for Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, is surrounded by his wife, Karen, right, and family as he addresses supporters on November 7, 2000, in Columbus, Indiana. Pence defeated Democrat Robert Rock in the race to fill the seat vacated by David McIntosh, who held the position from 1995-2001. Hide Caption 2 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence and Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake talk on July 10, 2002, during the markup of the bill which would establish the Department of Homeland Security. Hide Caption 3 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence, Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, and Christopher Shays, R-Connecticut, walk with a bipartisan group of members during a news conference on July 22, 2004, about the release of the 9/11 Commission report. Hide Caption 4 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career From left, Reps. Ted Poe, R-Texas, Mike Pence, R-Indiana, Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, attend a news conference to call for budget offsets to pay for the Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction effort. Hide Caption 5 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence speaks at a news conference on September 5, 2008, in Washington. Pence and other House Republicans called on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on energy legislation to help lower gasoline prices. Hide Caption 6 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Former Speaker of the House John Boehner hands a copy of the stimulus bill to Pence after the House of Representatives voted to pass it on February 13, 2009. The bill passed the House along a strict party vote of 246-183. Hide Caption 7 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence is joined by his wife, Karen, as he carries his ballot petition signatures to run for governor of Indiana into the Secretary of State's Election Division in Indianapolis on February 6, 2012. Hide Caption 8 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career The three candidates for Indiana governor, Democrat John Gregg, left, Pence and Libertarian Rupert Boneham, gather after a debate in South Bend, Indiana, on October 17, 2012. Hide Caption 9 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence is sworn in as Indiana's 50th governor by Chief Justin Brent E. Dickson as Pence's wife, Karen, and his family look on during a ceremony at the statehouse on January 14, 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence checks off a milestone on May 29, 2013, for a new Ohio River bridge that will connect Indiana to Kentucky, just east of Louisville. Hide Caption 11 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence speaks during a memorial service for former Indiana Rep. Andrew Jacobs Jr. at the statehouse on January 3, 2014. Jacobs died on December 28, 2013, at age 81. Hide Caption 12 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence speaks during the leadership forum at the National Rifle Association's annual convention on April 25, 2014, in Indianapolis. Hide Caption 13 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence formally announces his re-election campaign in Indianapolis on June 18, 2015. The Indiana native, whose status as a national star among conservatives was battered by an outcry over the state's new religious objections law at the time, launched a re-election campaign focused on the state's economy and improving schools. Hide Caption 14 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the legislature at the statehouse on January 12, 2016. Hide Caption 15 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence joins 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Westfield, Indiana, on July 12, 2016. Hide Caption 16 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate Trump after being newly selected as his vice presidential running mate on July 16, 2016, in New York City. Hide Caption 17 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence points to the crowd as he walks on stage to deliver a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Hide Caption 18 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence introduces his running mate, Trump, at a campaign event at Youngstown State University on August 15, 2016, in Youngstown, Ohio. Hide Caption 19 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence looks on before the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on September 26, 2016. Hide Caption 20 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, left, and Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence speak during their debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, on October 4, 2016. Hide Caption 21 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence runs onto the stage at a rally on October 25, 2016, in Marietta, Ohio. Hide Caption 22 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career New vice president-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during an election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of November 9, 2016, in New York City. Hide Caption 23 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence listens as the President-elect speaks during a meeting of technology executives at Trump Tower on December 14, 2016, in New York City. Hide Caption 24 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Trump stands with Pence at a news conference at Trump Tower on January 11, 2017, in New York City. Hide Caption 25 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career The vice president-elect arrives for the presidential inauguration of Trump at the Capitol in Washington on January 20, 2017. Hide Caption 26 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Vice President Mike Pence, his wife, Karen, and their daughter Charlotte arrive for a rally on the National Mall before the start of the 44th annual March for Life on January 27, 2017, in Washington, DC. Hide Caption 27 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence delivers a speech on the second day of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich on February 18, 2017. Hide Caption 28 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence, his wife, Karen, and his daughter Charlotte lay a wreath at the International Memorial of the former Nazi concentration camp of Dachau in southwestern Germany on February 19, 2017. Hide Caption 29 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 23, 2017, in National Harbor, Maryland. Hide Caption 30 of 31 Photos: Mike Pence's political life and career Pence speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill following a policy lunch on March 7, 2017. Hide Caption 31 of 31

That's why a story like the one in the Times on Sunday is so potentially damaging for Pence. Pence knows Trump reads the Times; it's his home paper and the one he cares the most about . And Pence knows that if he appears to be angling in any way, shape or form to be ready in 2020, Trump will give him the pariah treatment. (That treatment should probably be renamed "The Sessions.")

And so, Pence goes on offense -- releasing a total and complete denial to make sure that as soon as Trump reads, sees or hears about the story, the President also reads, sees or hears about Pence's denial of it.

Pence's audience for this statement is just one person: The guy who sits in the Oval Office. And he's smart enough to understand that that's the only opinion that really matters to his political future.