![]() “If Governor Pence is chosen, these are the kinds of questions he’s going to have to answer under the national spotlight,” Earnest said. But Pence negotiated with the Obama administration on the issue, ultimately winning approval last year to adopt the program with some conservative tweaks to the requirements under the healthcare law.Įarnest was nonetheless critical of the religious freedom law signed by Pence, recalling Obama as having had “a pretty strong and negative reaction” to state-level efforts that would strip individuals of their rights. The majority of Republican governors in the US have rejected the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. “That’s something that President Obama’s been encouraging Democratic and Republican governors across the country to do.” “Governor Pence did do some important work with the administration to expand Medicaid in his state,” Earnest said. ![]() But he offered what in Republican circles would be viewed as backhanded praise by highlighting Pence’s work to implement a key provision of the president’s healthcare law. Reacting to the news on Thursday, the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, told reporters he was unclear about the extent to which Barack Obama had interacted with Pence. “I’ll see where Donald Trump goes from here,” he said. “I hope that Mike Pence can help change a few of Donald Trump’s positions, particularly as it relates to his statements about Hispanics.”īut Flake, who had a heated exchange with the presumptive nominee during a closed-door meeting last week, said Pence’s presence on the ticket was not enough on its own for Trump to earn his support. “I think it’s the best thing Donald Trump has done so far,” said Flake, who has yet to endorse Trump. “He has the executive skills, he also has the legislative, so I’m happy for him and happy for the ticket.”Īrizona senator Jeff Flake said he was pleased with the choice, while adding his hope that Pence will “be a good influence” on Trump. “He’s certainly, as were the other finalists, a great choice,” Corker said. Tennessee senator Bob Corker, who was regarded as a top VP pick for Trump before taking himself out of the running last week, praised Pence’s experience in public office. Pence has also voted to restrict Medicare rules, which Trump opposes, and in favor of the war in Iraq, which Trump has renounced in the years after he first supported it.Īs reports of Pence’s announcement trickled in, Republicans on Capitol Hill were cautiously optimistic about the news. “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the US are offensive and unconstitutional,” he tweeted in December.ĭespite this, Pence was one of several governors who tried in vain to block Syrian refugees from settling in Indiana. Without naming Trump, Pence has also attacked the businessman’s various calls to ban Muslims, or people from largely Muslim nations, from entering the US. He has supported free-trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is backed by Barack Obama and which Trump has called a “rape” of the US. The governor is also a far more conventional Republican than Trump in many regards, and has publicly disagreed with the presumptive nominee on several occasions. He is not very popular in his home state, nor well known outside it, and though his conservative bona fides will help unite the party they may push away important swing voters, particularly suburban women. Pence does not come without baggage to a general election, however, where tens of millions more people vote than in the primaries. Just before the Indiana primary election, the staunchly conservative governor endorsed Ted Cruz, Trump’s leading opponent and a far-right senator from Texas. The three who spoke with Trump in the last week gave speeches that doubled as dress rehearsals for the campaign trail, and Pence also met with Trump’s adult children Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr, who have assumed leading roles in their father’s campaign.Ī Trump-Pence ticket could send a message to Republican dissenters who feel they cannot support a candidate who has proven inconsistent on guns, abortion, LGBT rights and other social conservative issues. Trump has spent much of the last week in Indiana, grounded by an aircraft malfunction to his private jet, and whiled away the days by holding de facto auditions with three contenders: Pence, New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. The decision seems to represent an attempt to unite the Republican party and bring political experience to the businessman’s campaign. ![]() Multiple other media outlets, including the Indy Star in Pence’s home state, also confirmed the selection. Later, Trump’s oldest son Donald Trump Jr said the same to NBC News.īut a Republican source told the Guardian that the choice will be Pence. Trump’s campaign chair, Paul Manafort, insisted the decision had not yet been made on Thursday.
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