But they’re having no trouble getting behind Trump’s newly announced running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
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Trump chose Pence in part to ease some Republicans’ concerns about Trump’s temperament and lack of political experience. And his solidly conventional political background runs counter to Trump’s anti-establishment mantra. The duo will head to Cleveland next week for the Republican National Convention.
Pence was less equivocal on another of Trump’s signature policy proposals: a 2,000-mile wall along the Mexican border. He has publicly backed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the sweeping trade deal that Mr. Trump has repeatedly blasted as bad for U.S.jobs.
Clinton’s campaign moved quickly to paint him as the “most extreme pick in a generation”.
“I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate”, Trump tweeted on Friday.
Clinton spent Friday holding meetings in Washington about her own vice presidential choice.
Frustration among Trump and his advisers mounted because of news reports that Pence was the pick, sending top aides scrambling to insist no final decision had been made.
A second Republican said Friday he spoke to Trump on Thursday morning, and the NY real estate mogul said he had chosen Pence and would be calling the governor to make the offer and ask him to fly to NY. Pence accepted and boarded a private plane, along with his wife.
In the French resort city of Nice, a truck drove onto a sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers who’d gathered to watch fireworks Thursday night.
The billionaire businessman then went on Fox News to say he had not yet settled on his “final, final” choice.
Jim Bopp, an influential conservative attorney who has previously advised Pence, said the delayed announcement “creates an enormous legal problem” for Pence, who is barred by IN law from seeking both offices.
However, the two differ on a range of issues crucial to Trump’s candidacy. Friday at noon was the deadline for Pence to officially file for a gubernatorial re-election bid.
A Trump campaign spokesman flatly denied those assertions.
“Never waffled once he made his decision”, Manafort wrote in an email.
But as of Friday afternoon, Gingrich had yet to share his support with Trump himself. Trump was in California for fundraisers, separated from his closest aides, and was fuming about leaks that were viewed as an attempt to pressure him into the decision.
Pence added, “What I’ve heard from Donald Trump, and I believe the position he’s articulated that resonates with millions of Americans, is that we’ve got to find out what’s going on, and we’ve got to do something different, and we’ve got to put the safety and security of the American people first”.
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Mr. Pence is the Governor of IN, a lawyer by training and former radio talk show host with strong communication skills.
