While some conservatives are skeptical of Trump’s political leanings, Pence has been a stalwart ally on social issues.
Advertisement
It will take place in the same ballroom where Hillary Clinton and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raised eyebrows by making a racially-questionable joke during a charity event this spring.
Yet the announcement lacked much of the stagecraft typically associated with the public unveiling of a running mate, one of the most significant moments under a presidential campaign’s control.
There were no “Trump Pence” signs distributed to the crowd or adorning the room. The two men appeared together just briefly.
Even some Indiana Republicans have questioned his decisions, suggesting Pence has at times seemed more interested in appealing to national conservatives than doing what’s best for the state.
In December of previous year, Pence said Trump’s call to close the borders to all Muslims was both “offensive and unconstitutional”, but it appears his feelings about this issue have since changed.
As Pence arrived for a private meeting with Trump Friday, he told reporters he “couldn’t be more happy for the opportunity to run with and serve with the next president of the United States”.
Trump delegate and state Representative Jim Carns said Pence will help the Trump campaign. He is a solid, solid person, . Then Trump quickly exited.
He added that he was “grateful to God for his fantastic grace…and grateful to this builder, this fighter, this patriotic American who has set aside a legendary career in business to build a stronger America, Donald J. Trump”.
“The American people are exhausted”, Pence said in remarks that included numerous same talking points that until recently he was using in his bid for re-election.
“We’re exhausted of being told that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capital can plan our lives better for us. We’re exhausted of having politicians in both parties in Washington, D.C., telling us we’ll get to those problems tomorrow”. It was the first appearance the two made together since officially becoming runningmates. They argued that Pence was in many ways the safest pick: a deeply religious conservative widely respected by establishment Republicans and the right, he could help appease important constituencies and win over skeptics in the party.
60 Minutes also had the first joint interview with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan after Ryan was named as Romney’s running mate in 2012. A former reality TV star, Trump’s flair for showmanship has been evident at every turn of the campaign – particularly this week, when he held a flurry of last-minute auditions with several VP contenders that sent the political media scrambling.
The presumptive Republican nominee spoke for almost a half-hour Saturday as he introduced his pick for vice president, calling Pence onto the stage at the end. He did return for a brief photo-op at the end.
Gov. Pence also endorsed Senator Ted Cruz instead of Trump ahead of Indiana’s presidential primary.
Pence is scheduled to appear at a rally in IN later Saturday. “Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice”.
The lead-up to the low-key Saturday was anything but smooth.
Still, the billionaire called Pence Thursday afternoon to offer him the job and ask him to fly to NY for a Friday morning news conference.
He then announced the choice on Twitter, though the presentation event was postponed a day after the terror attack in Nice.
The presumptive Republic nominee didn’t go into further detail as to how the two Democratic leaders were accountable for the bloodshed in either Turkey or France, but he did extend his condolences to the people of both countries.
By the time Donald Trump ushered Mike Pence on stage Saturday, 29 minutes had gone by – mostly Trump talking about Trump, not his new running mate.
“This is the primary reason I wanted Mike – other than that he looks very good, other than he’s got an incredible family, and incredible wife”, Trump said. State GOP Chairwoman Terry Lathan is in Cleveland in advance of next week’s GOP convention.
Advertisement
The ad’s tagline says: “Donald Trump”. “I want to express our unyielding support for the people of France and we mourn their loss as a nation”, he said. “Back to Mike Pence” ended up back at Hillary Clinton.
