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Donald Trump Postpones Vice Presidential Announcement

By Robert Jonathan
Published on: 14:18 PST, Jul 14, 2016

Donald Trump is postponing tomorrow’s planned official announcement of his vice presidential running mate in the aftermath of the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France.

At the time of this article, 77 people have been killed and about 50 injured in the horrific attack after a fireworks show, which is presumed to be an act of terrorism.

Originally, Trump’s VP announcement was scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern time at Trump Tower in New York City.

The GOP national convention starts next week in Cleveland, so it is essentially crunch time for the vice presidential selection to be finalized.

Most media outlets reported today that Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee ad former Celebrity Apprentice star, selected or ‘hired” Indiana Governor Mike Pence for the ticket. Given this delay, however, Trump could still change his mind, would could leave Pence high and dry insofar as his political future is concerned.

Pence faces a noon paperwork deadline in Indiana to drop his reelection bid and allow the Republicans to begin the process of finding a gubernatorial replacement. Unlike some states, Indiana law prohibits a candidate from running for two offices at the same time.

In a tweet, Trump explained that “In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow’s news conference concerning my Vice Presidential announcement.”

“Before the attack in southern France, Mr. Pence, a mild-mannered Midwesterner popular with conservatives and evangelical Christians, appeared to be all but locked in as the Republican nominee for vice president — the last man standing after a madcap selection process unlike any in recent presidential politics,” the New York Times explained.

Other possibilities reportedly include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, General Michael Flynn, and several others, including perhaps some wild cards that have yet to be mentioned in news accounts.

Before his election as governor, Pence represented Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.

As the Inquisitr previously detailed, while Trump and Pence may have chemistry after spending time with each other on the campaign trail and in a more private setting, the low-key Indiana governor disagrees with some of the New York real estate mogul’s views, including his position on international trade — such as opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership — and a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants. Pence also supported the Iraq War, an intervention that Trump vehemently condemned.

“Mr. Pence, who flew to New York from Indianapolis Thursday, has a long government résumé and deep conservative political roots that would make him a safer choice than two other finalists for the job—former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—who mirror Mr. Trump’s combative, colorful style,” the Wall Street Journal detailed.

After the initial burst of publicity, however, vice presidential candidates traditionally have minimal influence on the electorate either way.

Despite all the media reporting that the pick is Pence, Donald Trump has insisted that he has not yet made a final decision. Nor, he added, would the postponement will have an effect on the person he winds up choosing for the number two position on the GOP ticket, Politico indicated.

“Trump’s change of plans jolted an already topsy-turvy day full of intrigue and speculation. Prior to the postponement, attention was focused squarely on Pence. Allies of Pence and Trump have sent increasingly strong signals that Pence would be Trump’s pick, but the campaign gave no official word,” the Washington Post observed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4kplQfYC4

A new national poll from Rasmussen supposedly shows Trump opening up a significant lead over rival Hillary Clinton, while a CBS survey indicates that the contest is now neck and neck, with Clinton’s previous six-point lead evaporating. According to The Hill, some Democrats in the U.S. Senate “freaked out” over positive Trump polls in battleground states during a private meeting today with Hillary Clinton in Washington.

https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/753740488096813056

The Trump campaign has yet to put forth a date and time for the rescheduled press conference.

Despite the Nice-related postponement, do you think that Donald Trump will name Mike Pence as his running mate after all or go in a different direction for the VP pick?

[Photo by Michael Conroy/AP]

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