Clinton says choice of Pence for VP shows Trump's 'dangerous plan' for US

Presumptive Democratic candidate for the US presidency Hillary Clinton on Friday said that the choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be Donald Trump's running mate is further evidence of the Republican presidential candidate's "dangerous plan for America".

"If you had any doubts about Trump sticking with his dangerous plan for America, say hello to his VP pick," Clinton said on her Twitter account immediately after Trump made the appointment official that had already been a well-known secret since Thursday.

Trump made the announcement on Friday on Twitter, and will address the media on Saturday. The press conference on the subject was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed following the terrorist attack on the French city of Nice, Efe news reported.

The Clinton campaign said in a statement that Pence is "the most extreme Vice Presidential pick in a generation", and posed the question: "Think Donald is divisive? Meet his running mate", then brought up the presumptive VP's history of "discriminatory politics and failed economic policies that favour millionaires and corporations over working families".

"Voters deserve better than more of their divisive policies and 'me-first' economic proposals. This new Trump-Pence ticket stands in dramatic contrast to Hillary Clinton's vision of our future -- one where we are stronger together, where unity prevails over division and the economy works for all Americans, not just those at the top," Efe news quoted Clinton's campaign director John Podesta as saying in the note.

The Democrat highlights in the message Pence's background of strict conservatism as well as his opposition to immigration reform.

In the House of Representatives, where he served between 2003-2013, Pence led the kind of battles praised by social conservatives, and as governor signed a law allowing gays to be refused services for religious reasons, and another banning abortion because of serious fetal disabilities like Down syndrome.

In political circles, Pence is seen as a "consensus choice" that could make Trump more "palatable", not only among the party's elite but also for ultraconservative voters and the powerful evangelical segment.

--IANS

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