It seemed like Trump was doing everything he could to signal his lack of enthusiasm about his own pick–he rambled on during the introduction, only occasionally coming back to Pence and his record in Indiana; he said that he had picked him for purposes of party unity, seemingly admitting that he was more or less forced into it; he gently mocked Pence for his weak Cruz endorsement; and he walked off stage as soon as Pence finally came up to the podium and gave him what looked like a pro forma handshake at the end. Every indication is that Trump will do everything he can to forget that Pence is his VP pick after next week.


As for Pence, he gave an utterly standard Republican speech. If the GOP establishment closed its eyes during his speech it could briefly pretend that this is a normal ticket. Pence mustered enthusiasm for Trump and you have to give him credit for a pretty good performance, all things considered.

Overall, it was a fizzle of an event, but it doesn’t really matter–this show is all about Donald Trump and his message, even on this day.