Pence tussles with Savannah Guthrie over past praise of Putin

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence defended his performance at this week’s vice presidential debate, pushing back Thursday morning against any suggestion that he was unwilling to defend an array of Donald Trump’s most controversial comments.

Pence was shown a clip of a video released Wednesday by Clinton’s campaign, juxtaposing Trump’s past comments with the Indiana governor’s denial that his running mate had ever made them. He and NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie specifically locked horns on the issue of Trump, and Pence’s, past praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin.


“No, I don't think so at all, Savannah,” Pence said when asked whether it was a mistake to deny so many of Trump’s comments that were captured on video. “And the mischaracterizations and the way Tim Kaine and Hillary Clinton continue to take Donald Trump's statements out of context, it was something I just wasn’t going to tolerate during the debate.”

“But those are direct quotes in context,” Guthrie interjected.

“Well, Tim Kaine actually said that I had said that Vladimir Putin was a better leader,” Pence replied, prompting Guthrie to admit “you said stronger leader.”

“I corrected him. I said stronger, and Savannah, there's a difference. He was wrong. I was right. What I was observing is quite frankly that the Russian reset has been a disastrous failure for Hillary Clinton. She said it was her No. 1 priority when she was secretary of state,” Pence said. “I do think observing that the small and bullying leader of Russia has been stronger on the world stage for his country than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is just simply a statement of fact — and something that we have to change and will change when Donald Trump becomes president of the United States.”

Still riding the wave of his superior debate performance, the Indiana governor flooded the morning talk-show circuit, seeking to thread the needle between his views and the wavering positions of his running mate.

He continued stressing his talking point that it was Trump and his vision, not Pence himself, that won Tuesday’s debate, saying as much on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and CBS in appearances during which he also maintained that his positions and Trump’s positions are one and the same on issues like safe zones in Syria and different elements of the GOP nominee’s immigration plan, including a Muslim ban and deportation force.

And although his strategy has to been to deflect when asked to defend Trump, Pence suggested that he’s happy to speak up for the top of the ticket.

“I’m not frustrated at all about it,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo, seeking to project unity in what appears to be an incongruous ticket when asked about any frustration he has having to field so many questions in recent days about defending Trump.

On NBC’s “Today,” Guthrie’s co-anchor Matt Lauer pushed Pence further, asking him if he finds it hard to defend some of Trump’s past remarks, listing off his attacks against women, Mexican immigrants, Sen. John McCain’s war record and the credibility of a federal judge with Mexican heritage as examples. Pence did not address any of those specific instances directly, but he said that “it's the greatest honor of my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump.”

He added that it was “remarkable” that his opponent’s insistence on bringing up the Manhattan billionaire’s litany of derogatory and disrespectful remarks was evidence that it is Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and not Trump’s, that is fueled by insults.

Finally, Guthrie asked Pence whether he believes Trump is a role model, echoing a question posed to Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) at a debate Monday night. Ayotte said she would “absolutely” point to Trump as a role model but later walked back that answer in a statement, saying that she “misspoke.”

“I frankly think Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have many admirable qualities that young people can look up to today. I think Donald Trump is a strong leader, he fights for what he believes in. He's a man who we learned 20 years ago went through a very difficult time in his business. He demonstrated the resilience and the smarts to marshal a real comeback,” Pence said. “It’s the kind of comeback he could lead for America, and I want to recognize that Hillary Clinton is the first woman to be a major party nominee in history … Nobody is perfect, and I can only think of one person in human history that’s perfect, but I think there are qualities in both of these people that both can be admired.”

Pence’s victory lap also included some advice for Trump ahead of his next debate with Clinton. “I’d encourage Donald Trump to do what he did in his first debate, and that is be himself,” Pence told “Fox and Friends.” “Speak from his mind and speak from his heart, and I know he's going to do that. He will be ready for this coming Sunday night.”