Pence still plans to attend a pre-scheduled fundraiser in Rhode Island on Saturday and will be there Saturday afternoon. | AP Photo Source: Pence plans to stay, advise Trump on fallout

INDIANAPOLIS – Mike Pence is not currently thinking of leaving the Republican ticket, according to a source familiar with the Indiana governor’s thinking, and is counseling Donald Trump to directly confront the explosive scandal around his comments on groping women.

The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Pence and Trump have spoken on the phone multiple times since Friday's revelations, and that he’s advised Trump to further address the leaked audio at Sunday’s debate or elsewhere.


After Pence made the decision Saturday not to take Trump’s place at a Wisconsin event with Speaker Paul Ryan, he spoke with Trump on the phone to inform him. He also informed Trump that he would be releasing a statement, the source said.

The call was described as cordial.

Pence still attended a pre-scheduled fundraiser in Rhode Island Saturday evening. As he exited his plane there, he did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions about whether Trump should stay in the race or whether he, Pence, would stay on the ticket.

The vice presidential candidate, who has had the inglorious task of being Trump’s defender-in-chief, said in the statement that he was “offended” by the billionaire’s statements but was not bolting, as many other elected Republicans have in the past 24 hours.

Trump is struggling to contain the fallout after audio from 2005 emerged on Friday of him using vulgar language to describe how he can sexually assault women because he’s “a star.”

The nominee apologized in a video statement just after midnight on Saturday, but also insisted that Bill and Hillary Clinton have committed much worse sins.

For now, publicly, Pence is standing by Trump, saying in the statement Saturday he is “grateful” for Trump’s apology and that he looks forward to Sunday’s debate, during which Trump can “show what is in his heart.”

Meanwhile, top elected Republicans, including New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, have pulled their support from Trump and indicated Pence would have their support should he take the nomination. Trump, for his part, has said there is “zero chance” he will leave the race.

Pence stayed home in Indiana for much of the day Saturday after scrapping the Wisconsin trip and left for the the fundraiser mid-afternoon.

The situation is particularly perilous for Pence’s reputation, given that he is known for his devout Christian faith.

The “in-state chatter,” one top elected Democrat in Indiana said via text message, “is all about how the pious Mike Pence can run with this guy, but his critics wondered that all along, anyway.”

“I was repulsed, surprised, repulsed,” said long-time Pence friend and Indiana State Sen. Jim Merritt of Trump’s comments. “I felt for Mike, having to deal with it.”

But he said he was glad the Trump campaign permitted Pence to release the statement he did.



He said he still supports Trump and was comforted by Pence’s statement because “it’s the Mike Pence that we know.”

Pence has long shrugged off Trump’s controversial comments as a difference in “style.” And the Republican Party’s embrace of Trump, Pence has argued, does not represent a departure from the type of values conservatism he has long espoused.

“The Republican Party continues to be a party that stands for the sanctity of life, stands for traditional values,” Pence told POLITICO recently. “It seems like a lot of people in the political class are always trying to silo people politically, you know, you’ve got values voters, you’ve got national security voters, you’ve got economic conservatives — you’ve got me, I’m all of the above.”

Pence does indeed check all the boxes on the conservative wish list, from his ardent opposition to abortion rights to his tax-cutting verve. He has been Trump’s bridge to the Republican establishment in Congress, to some top-level donors, and to evangelical Christians. All of that also makes Pence all the more attractive as an option to replace Trump atop the ticket.

But for now, he is staying put.

Pence is scheduled to hold two campaign events in North Carolina on Monday.