October 5, 2016 | No Comments
HARRISONBURG, Va. — From where Mike Pence sat Tuesday evening, it was clear to see who won the vice presidential debate: Donald Trump.
Indeed, the Indiana governor conceded Wednesday that he wasn’t the victor of the 90-minute bout in Farmville, Virginia. Rather, it was Trump and his vision that prevailed.
“It’s great to be in Virginia. We had a little debate last night,” Pence said, stumping Wednesday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a day after his widely praised performance against Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine. “It was at Longwood University, and I was humbled and honored to be there. Donald Trump called me late last night from Nevada to congratulate me on the debate. That really meant the world to me. It truly did.”
But it was neither Pence nor Kaine who emerged victorious, the Indiana governor told supporters.
“Some people think I won,” he said, firing up the crowd. “But I’ll leave that to others. You know, what I can tell you is from where I sat, Donald Trump won the debate. Donald Trump’s vision to make America great again won the debate. And when we take that vision to every corner of Virginia and every corner of this great nation, this movement, that man and that vision are gonna win all the way to the White House.”
Pence generally appeared smoother and calmer on the debate stage than Kaine, who repeatedly sought to put Pence on the defensive over Trump’s controversies. But Pence parried the attacks — in part by inaccurately denying that many of them ever happened.
He scored high marks on style, however, with even Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta admitting he was “smooth” and “sort of likable.”
Pence kicked off a four-day post-debate bus tour Wednesday, with events scheduled in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina.
His comments Wednesday afternoon followed reports that suggest the Republican presidential nominee was unhappy that his running mate upstaged him and repeatedly refused to defend him.
Trump campaign manager Kellyane Conway pushed back on such reports, though, telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “That’s just not true.”
For his part, Trump tweeted Tuesday night: “Mike Pence won big. We should all be proud of Mike!”
And he followed up with another post around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, panning Kaine’s performance and reminding everyone who won.
“The constant interruptions last night by Tim Kaine should not have been allowed,” he said. “Mike Pence won big!”