Tim Kaine came into the vice presidential debate with a clear goal: make Mike Pence own all of Trump’s most controversial moments.
But Kaine was unable, with Pence successfully parrying his attacks as the debate dissolved into a string of interruptions and contradictions with each of the candidates peppering the other with rhetoric but neither landing a knockout. After, Pence was lauded for his debating acumen, and on efficacy, the strategy scores high.
Scored on accuracy, however, Pence fares far worse. The main
tenet of his strategy was to deny that Trump ever said these things to
begin with — despite the fact that many of the statements were both real
and a part of the public record.
Here are six Trump statements that Pence attempted to tweak, massage or erase all together.
1. Tax Returns. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump started this campaign in 2014 and he said, if I run for president, I will absolutely release my taxes. He's broken his first promise.”
Mike Pence said: “He hasn’t broken his promise.”
What Trump’s actually said: In 2014, while sitting down with an Irish television station, Donald Trump said, “If I decide to run for office, I will release my tax returns. Absolutely.” Adding, “I would love to do that.” While saying he will release his tax returns when a federal audit is complete, Trump’s surrogates,including his son, have implied that won’t actually happen. Trump also has said that only the media cares about his tax returns. "As far as my taxes are concerned, the only one that cares is the press, I will tell you,” Trump said in September. And even the press, I tell you, it's not a big deal."
2. Social Security. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump wrote a book and he said Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and privatization would be good for all of us.”
Mike Pence said: “All Donald Trump and I have said about social security is we're going to meet our obligations to our seniors. That's it.”
What Trump actually said: While describing Social Security in his 2000 book “The America We Deserve” Trump said of Social Security, “Does the name Ponzi all of a sudden come to mind?”
3. Insults. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He's called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting ... He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a P.O.W., and said he wasn’t a hero because he'd been captured.”
Mike Pence said: “To be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all the things that you said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of of our supporters were a basket of deplorables.”
What Trump actually said: Trump called “some” Mexican illegal immigrants “rapists” and “criminals,” and some, he assumed, “good people.” He has used a variety of insults for women. Trump came under fire earlier this year for claiming an Indiana-born federal judge’s Mexican ancestry made him unable to fairly hear a case about Trump. And regarding John McCain, Trump said: “He’s not a war hero … He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
4. Putin. Tim Kaine said: “You've got to be tough on Russia. So let’s start with not praising Vladimir Putin as a great leader. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have said he's a great leader.”
Mike Pence said: “No, we haven't.”
What Trump actually said: Trump has repeatedly praised Putin’s strength and has called him “a leader, far more than our president has been.” Pence also said he thought it was “inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country."
5. Nuclear weapons. What Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump's idea that more nations should get nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea.” He also claimed Trump had said “more nations should get nuclear weapons.”
What Pence said: “Well, he never said that, Senator.”
What Trump actually said: In a March interview with The New York Times and subsequent Republican town hall, Trump suggested it would be good for Japan and South Korea to have nuclear weapons. “I think maybe it’s not so bad to have Japan — if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us,” Trump said. Trump stopped short of promoting nuclear weapons for Saudi Arabia, but he did say it was inevitable and that the country needed to be able to defend itself.
6. Abortion. What Tim Kaine said Donald has said “women should be punished ... for making the decision to have an abortion.”
What Pence said: “Donald Trump and I would never support legislation that punished women who made the heart-breaking choice to end a pregnancy.”
What Trump actually said: Trump in March said abortion “is a very serious problem, and it’s a problem we have to decide on …There has to be some form of punishment.” But he quickly walked that statement back saying, “This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination.”
Here are six Trump statements that Pence attempted to tweak, massage or erase all together.
1. Tax Returns. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump started this campaign in 2014 and he said, if I run for president, I will absolutely release my taxes. He's broken his first promise.”
Mike Pence said: “He hasn’t broken his promise.”
What Trump’s actually said: In 2014, while sitting down with an Irish television station, Donald Trump said, “If I decide to run for office, I will release my tax returns. Absolutely.” Adding, “I would love to do that.” While saying he will release his tax returns when a federal audit is complete, Trump’s surrogates,including his son, have implied that won’t actually happen. Trump also has said that only the media cares about his tax returns. "As far as my taxes are concerned, the only one that cares is the press, I will tell you,” Trump said in September. And even the press, I tell you, it's not a big deal."
2. Social Security. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump wrote a book and he said Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and privatization would be good for all of us.”
Mike Pence said: “All Donald Trump and I have said about social security is we're going to meet our obligations to our seniors. That's it.”
What Trump actually said: While describing Social Security in his 2000 book “The America We Deserve” Trump said of Social Security, “Does the name Ponzi all of a sudden come to mind?”
3. Insults. Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump during his campaign has called Mexicans rapists and criminals. He's called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting ... He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican. He went after John McCain, a P.O.W., and said he wasn’t a hero because he'd been captured.”
Mike Pence said: “To be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all the things that you said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of of our supporters were a basket of deplorables.”
What Trump actually said: Trump called “some” Mexican illegal immigrants “rapists” and “criminals,” and some, he assumed, “good people.” He has used a variety of insults for women. Trump came under fire earlier this year for claiming an Indiana-born federal judge’s Mexican ancestry made him unable to fairly hear a case about Trump. And regarding John McCain, Trump said: “He’s not a war hero … He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
4. Putin. Tim Kaine said: “You've got to be tough on Russia. So let’s start with not praising Vladimir Putin as a great leader. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have said he's a great leader.”
Mike Pence said: “No, we haven't.”
What Trump actually said: Trump has repeatedly praised Putin’s strength and has called him “a leader, far more than our president has been.” Pence also said he thought it was “inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country."
5. Nuclear weapons. What Tim Kaine said: “Donald Trump's idea that more nations should get nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea.” He also claimed Trump had said “more nations should get nuclear weapons.”
What Pence said: “Well, he never said that, Senator.”
What Trump actually said: In a March interview with The New York Times and subsequent Republican town hall, Trump suggested it would be good for Japan and South Korea to have nuclear weapons. “I think maybe it’s not so bad to have Japan — if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us,” Trump said. Trump stopped short of promoting nuclear weapons for Saudi Arabia, but he did say it was inevitable and that the country needed to be able to defend itself.
6. Abortion. What Tim Kaine said Donald has said “women should be punished ... for making the decision to have an abortion.”
What Pence said: “Donald Trump and I would never support legislation that punished women who made the heart-breaking choice to end a pregnancy.”
What Trump actually said: Trump in March said abortion “is a very serious problem, and it’s a problem we have to decide on …There has to be some form of punishment.” But he quickly walked that statement back saying, “This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination.”
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