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. According to an NPR report after last year’s terrorist attacks in Paris, screening for Syrian refugees is a lengthy process that can take up to nearly two years to complete. In addition to Pence’s deadline in IN, the Republican convention kicks off in Cleveland Monday.
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“So many people have said ‘party unity, ‘ because I’m an outsider”, Trump said.
The former congressman also is a proven fundraiser with close ties to billionaire industrialists David and Charles Koch and their network of wealthy donors, many of whom have been dismissive of Trump. In contrast, four years ago, Mitt Romney introduced running mate Paul Ryan on the deck of a Navy battleship, the USS Wisconsin, off the shore of swing state Virginia. The Washington Post says Trump “overstated the figure here”. He did return for a brief photo-op at the end.
Manafort persuaded Trump that Pence would do more to strengthen the campaign and unify the Republican Party, according to the report. He spoke for only a few minutes, telling the crowd that he and his family were headed home for “pizza night”.
Trump’s announcement came just one hour before the deadline for Pence to withdraw as the GOP nominee for governor in IN on Friday, a move that would have all but confirmed Trump’s pick even if he had not yet made it official.
Trump seemed to confirm that he would pick Pence after he was seen meeting with him at the IN governor’s mansion on Wednesday morning and bringing along his three oldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, along with Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner.
The lead-up to the low-key Saturday was anything but smooth.
Trump had spent weeks vetting vice presidential contenders, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and only zeroed in on Pence in recent days.
Twitter is having a field day with the logo.
The announcement beat a deadline on Friday by which Mr Pence had to file papers to run for re-election as IN governor and came amid media chatter that Mr Trump had cold feet about his choice ahead of his declaration but was persuaded to proceed by his closest aides.
Donald Trump almost picked New Jersey Gov. Just as Trump was settling on Pence, Republicans gathering in Cleveland essentially quelled the movement to oust Trump at the convention, all but assuring he’ll be the GOP nominee.
“Our politicians have aggressively pursued a policy of globalization, moving our jobs, our wealth, and our factories to Mexico and overseas”, Trump said in a speech in Pittsburgh last month. “And they got crushed immediately, because people want what we’re saying to happen”.
The Indiana governor is well-regarded by evangelical Christians, particularly after signing a law that critics said would allow businesses to deny service to gay people for religious reasons. But his hard line ideology is sometimes at odds with Trump. Trump’s announcement came about an hour before that deadline.
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Clinton’s team was already painting Pence’s conservative social viewpoints as out of step with the mainstream.
