Trump to pick Mike Pence as VP
July 14, 2016
US media outlets reported the decision on Thursday, less than a week before the Republican National Convention, where the brash billionaire is expected to become the party's official nominee.
The businessman and former reality TV star was slated to officially announce his choice on Friday morning, but said he would postpone the announcement in the wake of a truck attack in Nice, France that killed over 70 people.
Generally viewed as a conventional choice for Trump, who was also reportedly considering such controversial figures as former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrinch and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Pence is likely to appeal to evangelical Christians, who have doubts about the notoriously divisive New Yorker.
Should Pence run alongside Trump, he would not be able to contest what appears likely to be a difficult re-election bid in Indiana.
The safe choice?
A former Ted Cruz supporter, Pence had expressed opposition to some of Trump's more infamous proposals in the past.
Nonetheless, Pence has been known as a solidly right-wing conservative, with extensive experience in Washington - he was a member of the House of Representatives but left to take up his governorship - and a strong Midwestern appeal.
Trump's vice presidential pick is seen as critical to his success in the November, as the Republican primary left the party largely divided, with more moderate conservatives coming out in opposition to his incendiary, populist brand of politics.
blc/msh (Reuters, dpa)