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Donald Trump Formally Announces Indiana Gov. Mike Pence As VP Pick

The official word came a day after media reports that Trump was choosing him.
WESTFIELD, IN - JULY 12: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at the Grand Park Events Center on July 12, 2016 in Westfield, Indiana. Trump is campaigning amid speculation he may select Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Aaron P. Bernstein via Getty Images
WESTFIELD, IN - JULY 12: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at the Grand Park Events Center on July 12, 2016 in Westfield, Indiana. Trump is campaigning amid speculation he may select Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Donald Trump announced Friday in a tweet that he had selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

It was widely reported Thursday that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee had picked Pence. But after the attacks in Nice, France, began dominating the news later that day, Trump said he would delay the formal news conference he had planned for Friday out of respect for the victims. Trump’s Friday tweet said he would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Pence also withdrew from the race for Indiana governor on Friday because state law blocks him from appearing on the ballot as both a vice presidential and gubernatorial candidate.

Pence beat out former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, with whom Trump reportedly had a tense conversation on Thursday. Trump was reportedly upset that news of his announcement had leaked early.

Pence was elected Indiana’s governor in 2013 after serving 12 years in Congress. He has consistently attacked reproductive rights, is an unapologetic defender of the war in Iraq and came under fire last year for signing an Indiana law that allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBT Americans. In December, he also criticized Trump’s proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, tweeting that it was “offensive and unconstitutional.

A source told HuffPost that Trump liked the experience Pence would bring to the ticket and thought he would do a good job handling policy details, which aren’t exactly Trump’s strong suit. Pence could also help Trump reach out to establishment conservatives who have refused to back him.

Many GOP delegates who spoke with HuffPost in Cleveland this week described Pence as a reassuring choice whose background and experience could help bring conservative holdouts into the fold. Their reactions toward Pence, however, were relatively muted when compared to the prospect of Gingrich, a respected figure among the party whom they spoke about enthusiastically.

Learn more about Pence here.

Igor Bobic contributed reporting. This post has been updated to include impressions from delegates in Cleveland.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.

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