Trump Answers Questions About Campaign’s Negative Tone After Pence Dodges Them

Donald   Trump, Republican Aspirant.

According to Yahoo new,Donald Trump and Mike Pence sat down with CBS’ “60 Minutes” for their first joint interview since the presumptive Republican nominee named the Indiana governor as his “first choice” for a vice presidential running mate. And Pence, who endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz during the the GOP primary, was asked about the negative tone Trump adopted earlier in the race.

In the interview, set to be broadcast Sunday night, CBS News’ Leslie Stahl brought up a 1991 essay Pence had penned about negative campaigning.

“A campaign ought to demonstrate the basic human decency of the candidate,” Pence wrote. “That means your First Amendment rights end at the tip of your opponent’s nose — even in the matter of political rhetoric.”

“With that in mind,” Stahl said, “What do you think about your running mate’s campaign and the tone and the negativity of it?”

“I think this is a good man who’s been talking about the issues the American people care about,” Pence replied.

“But name-calling?” Stahl asked, before invoking Trump’s nickname for Cruz. “‘Lyin’ Ted’?”

“In the essay that I wrote a long time ago, I said campaigns ought to be about something more important than just one candidate’s election,” Pence explained. “And this campaign and Donald Trump’s candidacy has been about the issues the American people care about. They see America in decline at home and abroad. They see our porous borders.”

Stahl tried to interrupt Pence’s talking points.

“You’re saying it hasn’t been negative?” she asked.

Pence did not answer.

“And a Congress that’s unable to balance its budgets or deal with and end illegal immigration,” he continued. “They want a leader, they want leadership in Washington, D.C. that will solve problems and strengthen our country.”

Trump, however, responded to Stahl, saying that he and Pence are “different people.”

“I’ll give you an example,” the real estate mogul said. “Hillary Clinton is a liar.”

“That’s negative,” Stahl said.

“You better believe it. I call her Crooked Hillary,’” Trump replied. “He won’t — I didn’t ask him to do it, but I don’t think he should do it, because it’s different for him.”

GOP leaders, though, are hoping Trump himself tones down the negative rhetoric.

“He knows the pivot is important,” Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “He has been better, and I think he’s going to be great moving forward.”

Priebus believes this change of tone will be on display at this week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

“I think Thursday night’s a critical night for him,” Priebus said. “Delivering a great speech, the balloon drop, the people in this country saying, ‘I can see Donald Trump being in the White House. I think he’s presidential.’”