Donald Trump's roll-out of his vice presidential selection was, to be generous, inept. The Trump camp announced that the selection would be made on Friday, July 15 but by the morning of Thursday, July 14, the word had leaked out that the choice would be Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Whether the leak came from the camps of Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich or Mike Pence is uncertain at this point. Subsequently, Trump began to hedge on the pick, whether he felt that the leak came from the Pence camp or not. The evening of the 14th, Trump announced that the selection would be delayed due to he horrific incident in France, in which a large truck was driven through people gathered to celebrate Bastille Day, killing over eighty and injuring many others. He even put Pence out to dry, by saying that he still had not made the "final, final" decision. Pence was in a bind, because he had a Friday noon deadline to declare himself to be a candidate for reelection. An hour before the deadline, Trump tweeted that Pence was his choice.
Governor Mike Pence was formally introduced on Saturday, July 14. Trump made a rambling 28-minute speech before he turned the mike over to Pence.
The roll-out continued the following day, in which the two were interviewed on Sixty Minutes by Lesley Stahl. If the initial announcement of Pence's selection was ineptly handled, the interview on Sixty Minutes was, by all odds, a disaster. Stahl repeatedly asked if Trump's plan to have war declared on ISIS if he was elected president, would include the dispatch of ground troops to the Middle East. Trump repeatedly refused to answer yes of no, referring to engaging Arab nations more deeply in the fight and getting better intelligence on the situation. Pence tried to help Trump out by interjecting that Trump would provide the leadership that is now lacking but wouldn't declare his position on boots on the ground.
A particularly sticky moment for Donald Trump came when Stahl pointed out that while in Congress, Pence had voted for the resolution on use of force, which helped grease the skids for President George W. Bush to invade Iraq. Trump has been using Hillary Clinton's vote for the same resolution as a major reason why she is unqualified to be president. In reference to Pence's vote, Trump replied that everyone is entitled to a mistake now and then.
In the presidential campaign, Trump has been saying that he was a strong opponent of the Iraq War; however, his position while the war was going on was ambiguous, as he made comments that were both opposed to and supportive of the war. What Trump did not do was be an active participant in any group or movement trying to end the war.
When Pence said that Trump leads with his heart, Trump immediately interjected that he leads with his heart and his brain. Trump and Pence interrupting one another without saying anything like "Excuse me,"was a salient feature of the interview.
The interview and information about the positions and actions that Pence has taken in the past reveal that the two men did not have a serious discussion about where they stand on the issues. When Trump proposed a ban on Muslims, Pence called he ban "objectionable and unconstitutional." Pence has also called Trump out on his assaults on Judge Curiel, who is the presiding judge in the class action suit against Trump University. Whereas Donald Trump opposed the North Carolina law requiring transgender persons to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender appearing on their birth certificates, Gov. Pence initially signed a bill allowing those in businesses to deny service to LGBT persons if to do so would violate their religious beliefs. After a firestorm of opposition developed, Pence induced the state legislature to water down the new law.
Another important issue on which Trump and Pence disagree is defunding of Planned Parenthood, which Trump initially opposed because it provides vital health services to both men and women..
Where Donald Trump and Mike Pence differ most fundamentally and crucially is that Trump has built much of his support on strong opposition to free trade agreements, Pence voted for virtually every free trade agreement that came before the U.S. House of Representatives while he was representing an Indiana congressional district.
In conclusion, Donald Trump picked a nominee for vice president who disagrees with him on several of Trump's key issues.
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