Hillary Clinton Introduces Running Mate Tim Kaine, Hints More Optimistic DNC
Hillary Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) made their first joint appearance together on Saturday since she selected him as her running mate, with her vice presidential pick focusing on his biography as well as the campaign ahead against Donald Trump.
“We’ve seen when Donald Trump says he has your back, you better watch out,” he said at a packed rally at Florida International University in Miami.
Kaine made note of the fact that his son, who is with the Marines, is heading to Europe to serve with “our NATO allies.” The reference was a contrast to statements that Trump has made suggesting that he would examine U.S. support for NATO.
Kaine also sprinkled his speech with personal details, such as his time as a missionary in Honduras, and he spoke Spanish within minutes of starting.
He said that his mother told him, “If you want to be right, be a pessimist. If you want to do right, be an optimist.” It could be a signal that the coming Democratic National Convention, which starts Monday in Philadelphia, will try to contrast some of the darker rhetoric from Trump and other speakers in Cleveland this week.
Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, focused on Kaine’s qualifications, telling the audience that Kaine was “qualified to step into this job and lead on day one.”
Kaine’s vote to fast-track trade deals — including the Trans Pacific Partnership — could prove to be a source of friction with progressives, especially those who backed Bernie Sanders. Sanders made his opposition to the TPP a central part of his stump speeches, and Trump, who also opposes that pact, has been hammering Clinton for her past support of it.
Kaine said of Clinton, “There are an awful lot of people who’ve put their trust and faith in Hillary, and she has always delivered.”
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