Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says he and Donald Trump are “shoulder to shoulder” in the presidential campaign, after a young boy told Mr. Pence Thursday it looks like the GOP vice presidential nominee has been softening up on Mr. Trump’s policies and words.
“Let me tell you what - I couldn’t be more proud to stand with Donald Trump,” Mr. Pence said at a town hall event in Raleigh, N.C. “And we are shoulder to shoulder in this campaign, my friend — [I] promise you.”
The boy, who identified himself as Matthew and said he was 11 years old, told Mr. Pence he’s been “noticing that you’ve been kind of softening up on Mr. Trump’s policies and words.”
“Is this going to be your role in the administration?” he asked.
After clarifying what he was said to be doing for Mr. Trump, Mr. Pence laughed.
“Number one, this boy’s got a future,” Mr. Pence said, predicting that he would ultimately become the governor of North Carolina. “Nicely done.”
“Sometimes things don’t always come out like you mean, right?” Mr. Pence said. “And Donald Trump and I are absolutely determined to work together. We have different styles. You might have noticed that.”
“But I would tell you differences in style, Matthew, should never be confused with differences in conviction,” he said.
“And I will tell you right now Donald Trump has the right vision for America, he has the right policies for America, and I’m going to fight every day to tell his story all across the United States, and I am going to work at his side to make those ideas into the policies that will make America great again,” he said.
“I promise you, my friend,” he said. “Good job. You’re a good guy.”
In recent weeks, the Trump campaign has released separate statements from Mr. Pence on possible Russian involvement in the recent Democratic National Committee hack and on U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who died in 2004 while serving in Iraq.
Mr. Trump has been feuding with Capt. Khan’s family since his father, Khizr Khan, and mother, Ghazala, appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week. Mr. Khan had criticized Mr. Trump’s treatment of Muslims and asked if he had ever read the U.S. Constitution.
Mr. Pence also said Wednesday he was endorsing House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his re-election contest a day after Mr. Trump said he wasn’t there yet on Mr. Ryan, although Mr. Pence said he did so with the encouragement of Mr. Trump.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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