HENDERSON, Nev. — Donald Trump took a victory lap Wednesday for his running mate Mike Pence’s debate performance and suggested he’s getting “a lot of credit” because he picked the Indiana governor to join him on the Republican presidential ticket.

Speaking to a few thousand people here in this key battleground state, the GOP nominee suggested that Pence scored the “single most decisive victory in the history of presidential debates.”

“Mike Pence won the debate, and I’m getting a lot of credit,” Trump declared.

He suggested Pence’s debate performance offered voters their first real view into what kind of president he might be.

“Last night America got a chance to look at my judgment. … That was my first hire!” Trump said of Pence. “He was cool. He was smart. I mean, just take a look at him: He was meant to do what he is doing.”

Trump’s comments came amid scrutiny of what appeared to be policy differences voiced by Pence during Tuesday’s debate that seemed to break with the GOP nominee’s stated policy. During his bout with his Democratic rival, Sen. Tim Kaine, Pence suggested the U.S. “should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets” linked to the regime of Syrian president Bashar Assad — something Trump has not previously stated.

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Henderson, Nev. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

Additionally, the Indiana governor was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin — calling him a “small and bullying leader” whose provocations against the U.S. and the world need to be stopped. Trump, in contrast, has repeatedly praised Putin as a “highly respected” leader who is doing a “great job.”

In Nevada on Wednesday, Trump didn’t embrace Pence’s tough talk on Putin, but seemed to suggest he hadn’t made up his mind about what kind of relationship he might have with the Russian president if he wins the White House.

“I don’t love, I don’t hate. We’ll see how it works. We’ll see. Maybe we’ll have a good relationship,” Trump said of Putin. “Maybe we’ll a horrible relationship. Maybe we’ll have a relationship right in the middle.”