Pence breaks with Trump, says Obama born in Hawaii

SAN DIEGO -- Mike Pence on Wednesday declined to say whether Donald Trump should apologize for suggesting Barack Obama was born outside the U.S., but he did say Trump's stance wouldn’t hurt him with minority voters.

“I honestly think that Donald Trump, in his candor and in his vision, is expanding the Republican Party even as we speak,” Pence added, when asked if the comments would limit Trump’s ability to expand the Republican base. “I think it’s very clear that Republicans, Independents and Democrats are responding to this call to make America great again. And I’m very confident that as we continue to make it clear that that vision for America is for every American regardless of race or creed or color, that we’re going to continue to see that only grow. The polls are encouraging.”


Pence did not say, when asked, if Trump should apologize for the comments. “I think Donald Trump’s record both as a business man and as a political leader and as a patron in supporting minority efforts and particularly supporting the advancement of the African American community really speaks for itself,” he said.

For Pence’s part, the Indiana governor said he does believe Obama was born in Hawaii, as his birth certificate states and has been exhaustively documented.

“Well I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, I accept his birthplace," Pence told reporters during a brief gaggle aboard his campaign plane before a fundraising event here. “I just don’t know where he’s coming from on foreign policy and on economics and on Obamacare.”

Pence, who is preparing to deliver a speech at the Reagan Library Thursday, said he believes Trump will broaden the Republican base similar to the same way Reagan did.

But Trump has continued to struggle among African American voters, with many analysts pointing to his 2011 effort that sought unsuccessfully to show the president was not born in the United States as a source of the discomfort with Trump. Even after Obama released his long form birth certificate, Trump suggested it could be a forgery and has since called on Obama to release his college transcripts.

He has avoided questions about the controversy this week, telling reporters Monday, "I don't talk about it, because if I talk about that, your whole thing will be about that."