Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has delivered a ringing endorsement of Donald Trump as he joins him as the vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket. Their names are on top of his campaign phrase “Make America Great Again!”
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“What is the T doing to that P?” he asked.
He presented his new boss’s outsider status as an asset, saying the real estate tycoon “understands the frustrations and the hopes of the American people like no leader since Ronald Reagan”.
And Bloomberg’s Matt Negrin did his best to make the logo “safe for TV”. Mike Pence appeared in public together for the first time since Trump announced Pence as his running mate. The formal announcement was supposed to take place 24 hours earlier, but was postponed due to the Nice, France, terror attack that killed dozens of people on Thursday night.
Pence depicted the presumptive Republican ticket, just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention, as embracing traditional Republican values of smaller government, fiscal responsibility and strong national defense while describing his rise as a “small-town boy” in IN who served in Congress before winning the governorship of his state.
Trump described meeting with Pence’s family, including his wife and daughter, as part of the motivation for selecting him as a running mate.
“I’m really just a small-town boy who grew up in southern in with a big family and a cornfield in the backyard”, Pence said.
U.S. Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence appeared for the first time in public together since Pence was named as Trump’s running mate in NY on Saturday.
He also praised Trump – a man he once criticized for proposing to ban Muslims from entering the country – as “this builder, this fighter, this legendary American”.
“They got crushed”, Trump said.
“I think this is a good man who’s been talking about the issues the American people care about”, Pence said in the clip.
Glancing at notes, Trump lauded Pence’s personal character and conservative credentials.
Pence touted Trump’s pledges to repeal Obamacare, revive the coal industry and toughen the nation’s immigration policy. He repeatedly noted that he “won big” in Indiana’s Republican primary, even though Pence didn’t endorse him.
Trump says he and Pence are the “the law and order candidates”, adding that his potential administration would be far tougher on both foreign and domestic terrorism than would Clinton.
Joining Mr Trump on the podium, Mr Pence said: “I come to this moment deeply humbled but with a grateful heart, grateful to God for his wonderful grace”.
On Thursday, Trump had convened a midnight campaign conference call about his pick, even after he’d had Pence fly to NY to accept his offer.
“As Trump himself has stated, “chemistry” is very important, but that can mean different things”.
Presidential hopefuls will often pick running mates who can help them win swing states, appeal to a certain voting demographic or fire up the base if their pick didn’t become the nominee.
There was little hoopla – and no questions, though Trump on Thursday had billed the event as a news conference.
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Trump and Pence will appear together Saturday morning at a midtown Manhattan hotel, an unofficial kickoff event to the Republican National Convention two days before it opens in Cleveland. A steady conservative with extensive governing experience, Pence may also serve to reassure Republicans who are skeptical about Trump’s conservative bona fides.
