Pence on Trump: ‘He’s a big man’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WISH) – Mike Pence is back on the campaign trail and making it clear that he is on the GOP ticket to stay. He made his first public comments Monday since a vulgar audio tape of Donald Trump was revealed last Friday.

When the tape showed Trump talking about mistreating women there were calls for him to step down as the GOP nominee.

There were also reports that Mike Pence was considering taking his name off the ticket.

Pence addressed that topic right out the box at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. He told the cheering crowd that he is proud to stand with Donald Trump.

Before Sunday’s debate Pence said that he needed to hear Trump demonstrate that he was contrite over the revelation that a live mic caught him engaging in what he called “locker room talk” 11 years ago. Others said that Trump was admitting to sexual assault.

Either way, Pence heard what he needed to hear.

“You know it takes a big man to know when he’s wrong, and to admit it, and to have the humility to apologize, and be transparent, and be vulnerable with people,” he told the crowd, “and Donald Trump showed last night that he’s a big man.”

“It’s absolutely false to suggest that at any point in time we considered dropping off this ticket,” he told CNN. “It’s the greatest honor of my life to have been nominated by my party.”

Meantime, while Mike Pence was conducting the Charlotte rally, Donald Trump tweeted that House Speaker Ryan should spend more time balancing the budget and not waste time fighting the Republican nominee.

He was reacting to a report that Ryan told fellow Republicans that he will no longer defend or campaign with Donald Trump.

So, despite the loyalty from Pence there is no such thing as GOP unity at the moment and no prospect that it can be achieved before November 8.