Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump formally introduced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate on Saturday after days of speculation, a pick that many restive conservatives were quick to praise even as his Democratic opponents sharpened their lines of attack against the GOP ticket.

In a live news conference in New York City, the brash real estate mogul, called Pence "a man of character, honor and honesty," and a "solid, solid person" that would contrast sharply against the "corruption" of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

"What a difference between crooked Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence," Trump told reporters, just days before he's set to take to a stage in Cleveland to formally accept the GOP's nomination.



In response, the Indiana governor—who is well respected by the conservative grassroots—called Trump "a good man," who was also a solid businessman and a patriotic American. If early indications were any guide, Pence seemed to relish the opportunity to engage the Democratic ticket in political combat.

Saturday's event capped days of head-spinning speculation that was interrupted by the tragic attack in Nice, France, where hundreds of people were killed by an assailant that rammed a truck through a crowded Bastille Day celebration.

In the wake of the incident, Trump said he would postpone the veep announcement, despite the fact that news had already leaked to major media outlets around the country. In what was a first for a modern day campaign, the billionaire actually made the announcement over Twitter, underscoring social media's power to amplify and broadly transmit political messages.

In addition, it appeared that the Trump-Pence campaign moved swiftly to correct an early gaffe. On Friday, the Internet ridiculed the GOP ticket's logo, which featured an interlocking "T" and "P" in a manner that reporters and veteran political observers found odd.

The first official fundraising email from the vice presidential contender, however, bore an updated logo when it was circulated on Saturday:

NBC tweet



