Donald Trump has picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, the presumptive Republican nominee announced in a tweet on Friday, a move that adds an established, mainstream conservative politician to his unconventional bid for president.

"I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M." Trump said.


Pence, who emerged as a potential vice presidential candidate only in recent weeks, spent a dozen years in the House and has been Indiana’s governor since 2012, fulfilling Trump’s oft-stated wish for a running mate with political and legislative experience.

Less than an hour after Trump made the announcement, Pence offered his first statement the selection, naturally, on Twitter. "Honored to join @realDonaldTrump and work to make America great again," Pence wrote.

The confirmation of Trump’s pick came after a period of intense speculation during which a number of members of Trump’s inner circle tried to push him toward Pence. But even Trump’s top adviser, Paul Manafort, acknowledged others’ limited influence, saying on Tuesday, “Well, there's a 100 percent chance that Donald Trump will select who he wants.”

On Thursday, a flurry of reports emerged saying Trump had settled on Pence, even as his campaign insisted that no final decision had been reached. Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared to both still be auditioning for the role, as each spoke publicly about the chance that Trump would pick one of them.

Ultimately, Trump went for an experienced political figure who will not likely overshadow the billionaire businessman — a CBS News poll out Thursday found that 86 percent of registered voters said they are undecided about the first-term governor or don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

He will be officially debuted on Saturday during a news conference, one that was originally scheduled to take place Friday morning. Trump postponed the event after the apparent terrorist attack on Thursday night in Nice, France, but he denied the delay had anything to do with indecision on his part.

Hillary Clinton's campaign quickly ripped into Trump's decision to pick Pence, painting him as "the most extreme pick in a generation and was one of the earliest advocates for the Tea Party."

In a statement, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said that Trump has chosen “the most extreme” vice presidential candidate “in a generation.”

"By picking Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate known for supporting discriminatory politics and failed economic policies that favor millionaires and corporations over working families," Podesta said in a statement.

Democratic and progressive groups, including Planned Parenthood's political action organization, took aim at Pence's opposition to abortion and other policies, while Republicans were largely supportive of the move, one of the most conciliatory overtures Trump has made to date.

Former Trump rival Marco Rubio tweeted out his approval, calling it a “great pick” and saying Pence is “rock solid.” Sen. Dan Coats, a fellow Republican from Indiana, also expressed enthusiasm. “Mike Pence is a great choice and will make an excellent vice president,” he tweeted. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus lauded Pence as a "strong addition to the ticket."

As speculation swirled Thursday that Pence was indeed the man for the job, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who clashed openly with Trump last week in Washington, said picking Pence as a running mate would be the “best choice Donald Trump’s made so far.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has endorsed Trump, told the Dallas Morning News that Pence is a “great choice” and that he looks forward to “enthusiastically supporting the ticket.”

The leaders of a host of conservative groups praised Pence's selection, including David McIntosh, the president of the Club for Growth, which clashed frequently with Trump and even ran ads against him in the primary.

"The Club supported Mike Pence’s nomination as Republican Conference Chairman because we knew that he would be a strong voice for free markets and economic liberty among a House leadership team that was too prone to be weak on those issues," McIntosh said in a statement. "And today’s news gives a similar hope that Mike Pence will be effective in pulling the Republican ticket toward economic conservatism and limited government.”

Others joining the chorus included Jenny Beth Martin, the chairman of the Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund; NRA board member Ken Blackwell, formerly Ohio secretary of state and mayor of Cincinnati; Penny Nance, the president and CEO of Concerned Women for America; Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List; and Brent Bozell, the chairman of ForAmerica.

While the selection is seen by some insiders as addressing many of Trump’s weaknesses — supporters cast Pence as a trusted figure in the pro-Israel movement who understands foreign policy and has a network among grassroots conservatives — some influential members of the evangelical community do not trust him after he reversed course on a measure that more liberal critics said would allow Indiana businesses to deny service to gay people.

Teaming up with Trump will also test Pence’s political identity. He wrote a confessional essay and swore off negative campaigning after airing brutal attack ads in one of his early congressional runs. Pence held that pledge, even through the tight 2012 gubernatorial race. While his reelection campaign had already signaled he planned on going negative, adopting Trump’s attack dog style will require completely dropping a portion of who he’s been as a campaigner.

Throughout his time in Congress and the state house, Pence — who campaigned with Trump Tuesday in Indiana — has pushed a socially conservative agenda, supporting laws to roll back gay rights and limit abortion. He passed the largest tax cuts in Indiana history and eliminated the state’s estate tax.

But after offering a tepid endorsement to evangelical favorite Ted Cruz late in the primary season and then quickly shifting support to Trump, some religious conservatives consider him a weak-kneed conservative.

It’s a characterization that began to form when he backed away from the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act in March 2015. The state law allowed businesses to cite religious freedom as a legal defense against discrimination claims, but critics said the bill effectively legalized discrimination and it resulted in boycotts from major companies, celebrities and other states. Pence’s approval rating plummeted.

The bill was revised but the experience damaged Pence -- he lost support among evangelicals, who were disappointed that he backpedaled on the bill’s language--and also saw the national uproar over the bill kill his hopes for a 2016 presidential run himself.

Trump and Pence met over the Fourth of July weekend at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. After the meeting, Trump tweeted, “Spent time with Indiana Governor Mike Pence and family yesterday. Very impressed, great people!” Trump also recently hired Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to Pence and president and CEO of The Polling Company, Inc., to serve as a senior adviser. Conway had reportedly pushed Pence as a potential vice president pick.

Pence also appeared with Trump on Tuesday night at a rally in Westfield, Indiana, during which Trump teased him as his running mate to the crowd. “I don’t know if he’s going to be your governor or your vice president,” Trump said. “Who the hell knows? Good man.”

But Trump still openly flirted with Christie and Gingrich as picks, offering generous compliments to both men. In particular, Trump’s fondness for Christie appeared to worry some members of Trump’s inner circle.

POLITICO reported Wednesday that Trump's advisers were split over the best selection, with Trump's children and son-in-law Jared Kushner rushing to Indiana on Wednesday to counsel the presumptive GOP nominee.

Manafort had been pushing for Pence, while Kushner had been advocating former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, according to multiple sources involved in campaign deliberations.

Kushner, who has emerged as a de facto campaign manager in recent weeks, was said to be strongly opposed to Christie, who was the federal prosecutor who put Kushner's father in prison a decade ago.

Donald Trump Jr., however, disputed the idea that there's internal strife. "There's literally none of the drama I'm reading about. 3 great choices. Decision is my fathers alone to make!" he tweeted on Thursday afternoon.

Both Gingrich and Christie could still serve prominent roles in a Trump administration. Gingrich, who parted ways with Fox News earlier this week, has served as an informal adviser to Trump, and Christie has been heading up his transition efforts.

Christie on Thursday spoke openly about what would happen if Trump didn’t decided to pick someone else. "I'm a competitive person. I'm not going to say it won't bother me if I'm not selected. Of course it bothers you a little bit. Because if you're a competitive person like I am, and you're used to winning like I am, again, you don't like coming in second. Ever," Christie said on MSNBC. "Listen, no matter what phone call he makes to me today, I will take a deep breath and prepare for tomorrow."