“Gov. Pence, under tremendous pressure from establishment people, endorsed somebody else”, Trump said, referencing the Indiana Republican primary.
Advertisement
The two men, instead of presenting an image of an emboldened, unified front, barely spent any time on stage together, as Trump quickly exited after greeting Pence with a perfunctory handshake and arm pat. The announcement comes just a few hours after the Trump campaign’s somewhat unorthodox rollout of Pence as his running mate Saturday morning.
“Donald Trump understands the frustrations and the hopes of the American people like no leader since Ronald Reagan”, he added. Trump talked about economic and healthcare reforms.
Donald Trump has officially introduced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate. We’re exhausted of having politicians in both parties in Washington D.C. tell us: “We’ll get to those problems tomorrow”. In the process, he took the time to explain his long-held belief that Pence’s previous endorsement of his rival, Ted Cruz, “was more of an endorsement for me”.
Anti-Trump activists aimed to change party rules to unbind delegates and allow them to vote their “conscience”, opening up the nomination fight once more once the convention started.
“If you look at one of the big reasons that I chose Mike – and, one of the reasons is party unity, I have to be honest”, Trump said.
In those moments, Trump described Pence as his “partner” and his “first choice”, despite media reports that the presumptive Republican nominee was uneasy with the selection.
In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Trump said he would declare a war against the terror group if he becomes president and would deploy “very few” ground troops to fight it.
Pence has significant support among the religious right, which could be vital to Trump, who has so far failed to sway that key pillar of the Republican Party. A steady conservative with extensive governing experience, Pence may also serve to reassure Republicans who are skeptical about Trump’s conservative bona fides.
“I’ve admired the work he’s done”, he said. “And they got crushed immediately, because people want what we’re saying to happen”.
Many Republicans have agreed with Trump’s choice in choosing Pence, as Pence offers Trump the political background that he needs.
Advertisement
Clinton’s team was already painting Pence’s conservative social viewpoints as out of step with the mainstream.
