The wait is over, Trump made it official and announced his VP pick.
Friday, July 15, Donal Trump announced in a tweet that he had chosen Indiana governor, Mike Pence, to be his running mate this fall.
I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2016
Trump will hold a news conference on Saturday morning to further discuss his decision. Trump had intitialy planned to announce his pick Friday morning but rescheduled in light of the attacks in Nice, France that left more than 80 people dead during a Bastille Day celebration.
Following his announcement, Hillary Clinton tweeted a video criticizing Trump’s running mate.
It's official: @realDonaldTrump just chose Mike Pence as his running mate. What you need to know about him:https://t.co/VpmloblDhS
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 15, 2016
The video criticizes Pence’s support of defunding Planned Parenthood and Indiana’s Religious Freedom Act, and resistance to to comprehensive immigration reform.
Clinton wasn’t the only the only critical Democrat following the announcement.
In a statement, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested that Trumps VP pick has an agenda of bigotry. “…Mike Pence personifies the radical agenda of discrimination ad bigotry that House Republicans have been pushing for years.”
Pelosi expressed her assurance that the American People will not favor Pence as VP. “The nation resoundingly rejected Governor Pence’s disgraceful effort to target LGBT Americans for discrimination in Indiana. The American people will reject the Republican ticket of bigotry he ad Donald Trump are leading in November.”
Governor Pence was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2000, and is considered a staunch conservative. He became the 50th governor of Indiana in 2013.
Pence holds conservative views on gun rights, abortion, gay rights, and immigration. He is a leader in the effort to defund Planned Parenthood, calling for an investigation of the organization earlier this year.
Mr. Pence is also a self-proclaimed “strong proponent of the Second Amendment.”
The announcement comes just three days before the start of the GOP convention on July 18 in Cleveland, where Trump is presumed to accept the party’s nomination.