Washington-Republican White House candidate Donald Trump on Friday formally named Mike Pence, the governor of IN, as his vice presidential running mate, ending weeks of intense speculation.
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“America needs to be strong for the world to be safe and secure, and Donald Trump is going to provide the kind of broad-shouldered American leadership on the world stage that I think will make the world a more stable place”, Pence said.
Pence spoke after more 25 minutes of remarks from Trump, who used the opportunity to slam Hillary Clinton as “corrupt”.
Although Indiana is part of the rust belt, which has lost manufacturing jobs overseas, Mr Trump said Mr Pence had brought down unemployment, created jobs, balanced the budget and made the state’s largest income tax cut.
“I am very supportive of Donald Trump’s call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorists represent a threat to the United States”, Pence said.
The New York billionaire, set to be crowned Republican presidential candidate at the party’s national convention in Cleveland next week, called the 57-year-old in governor “a solid, solid person”. For Pence, a different decision loomed: to continue his re-election bid in IN or bow out of the race to join Trump if invited.
“Mike Pence is a conservative and some of the conservative base, I believe has been skeptical”, said delegate Maureen Kara.
The Trump-Pence event offered Americans the first glimpse at what the 2016 Republican presidential ticket will look like, barring the unexpected.
Democrats this week seized on the pick as more evidence that Trump is too extreme, while Republicans who have been critical of Trump viewed the addition of Pence as a sign of hope. “So many friends in Turkey”, Trump said. “In that order”, Pence said. So Trump, again via Twitter, announced Pence as his pick at 11 a.m.
Pence would take the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket over Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Army Gen. Michael Flynn, other rumors candidates for the job.
There have been reports that Trump was still having serious doubts about Pence on Thursday night, looking for a way out…. As an example, Trump mentioned the way he talks about Hillary Clinton, according to a transcript provided by CBS.
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In 2011, when Pence was in Congress, he supported free trade, another policy with which Trump strongly disagrees.
