Mike Pence Walks Back Prior Positions to Stand With Trump on Muslims, Wall, TPP
The Indiana governor had called Trump's proposed Muslim ban "offensive."
— -- Just hours after Donald Trump officially named Mike Pence as his vice-presidential pick, the Indiana governor walked back several of his prior policy positions to stand with his running mate -- including having previously called Trump’s Muslim ban “offensive” and “unconstitutional.”
"I am very supportive of Donald Trump's call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorist influence and impact represents a certain threat to the United States," Pence said on Hannity.
"I don't think things came out quite right or quite how I would have done it," he said of Trump's initial phrasing. "But I want folks to know I strongly agree with Donald Trump we have to do something different."
Earlier this week in Indiana, Pence refused to tell reporters whether he supports Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico, saying only that he believes in the need for strong border security.
But post-VP announcement on Friday, Pence insisted he is "absolutely" in sync with Trump on the wall, and that Mexico is "absolutely" going to pay for it.
Pence also walked back his support of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal.
“I think when we elect one of the best negotiators in the world as president of the United States I'm open to renegotiating these trade agreements,” he said.
Another previous point of discord between the two candidates -- the war in Iraq. Trump has repeatedly said it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq in the first place. But Pence while in Congress voted in favor of the war.
“I think reasonable people can differ on whether or not we should have gone into Iraq. But where Donald Trump and I are in strong agreement is that Barack Obama's precipitous withdrawal from Iraq created a vacuum in which ISIS was created,” Pence said on Friday.
Hannity asked Pence how he might handle disagreements that may arise with the presumptive Republican nominee.
"You know, you shut the door, you tell the boss exactly what you think. But when the door opens, the job of the vice president is to stand right next to the president and implement the policy that he's decided. And I'm prepared to do that," he said.
