Moses, who was mayor of Fort Wayne for two terms and served in the Indiana House of Representatives for 20 years, said he thinks that Pence will help reassure conservatives most concerned about social issues, and Pence’s style and tone could help balance Trump’s signature bombast.
Advertisement
Trump’s pick coming days before the start of next week’s Republican convention in Cleveland, where there’s still some talk of a delegate rebellion. He said that while his running mate selection would “absolutely not” be changed by the France attack, he did not feel it was appropriate to hold a news conference in its aftermath.
Trump’s choice of running mate is seen as especially critical because his defeat of 16 rivals in the Republican primary race left the party divided.
“It’s down to three”, the younger Trump said.
The Wisconsin Republican said he didn’t know what Trump would do, and hoped he’d make “a good pick and clearly that would be a good one”.
Merritt has been a friend of Pence’s since college and said he’s the right choice.
In addition to Pence, Trump’s vice presidential shortlist included former House Speaker Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, according to people familiar with the candidate’s thinking.
Trump, who has proposed banning Muslims from “terror states” from entering the United States (US), said in another Fox News interview that the attack in France showed the US and the rest of the world needed to get tougher in the fight against Islamist militants. Pence was a USA congressman for 12 years and has been governor of IN since 2013. He says he had not heard from the Trump campaign Thursday morning. “I’m not going to say it won’t bother me if I’m not selected”. “He’s a good, safe, solid conservative”, said Republican strategist Scott Reed.
Mr Pence, 57, is a former U.S. representative who could help Mr Trump, 70, boost his standing with social conservatives and in midwestern states where Mr Trump aims to build a line of defence against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. That’s up to the 22 members of the Indiana State Republican Committee; they will choose Pence’s replacement on the ballot.
It’s no secret Trump and Pence have different personalities and different appeals to voters.
Goldford said that if Pence were to lose a re-election campaign for the governor’s office, he would never have a shot at the White House, but if Trump loses in November, it wouldn’t tarnish Pence’s chances in 2020. That contrasts with Trump’s strong stance on immigration, marked by his pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
In 2014, Pence tweeted: “Trade means jobs, but trade also means security”. It was a major blow to Republican foes of Trump who have been working to try to thwart his nomination.
Potential US vice president: Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Trump won IN anyway, prompting Cruz to drop out of the race to be the party’s nominee. But Moses said Pence is a choice who meets the most important standard: “Do no harm”. But corporations and the gay community railed against the law, and Pence ultimately signed a revised version that explicitly prohibited businesses from denying services to anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Advertisement
The 22-member panel would have 30 days to select a new nominee for governor, but former state Republican Chairman Mike McDaniel said he expects a decision will be sooner.
