BULLETIN – TRUMP ANNOUNCES PENCE – AT 10:54 A.M. ET:   Donald Trump has just announced, via Twitter, his choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket.

Trump had previously been scheduled to hold a live press conference at 11 a.m. today to make the announcement, but held off out of respect for the victims of the attack in France.  However, we understand that Pence had only until noon today to take himself off his state ticket as candidate for re-election to the governorship.  That would have been picked up by the media, probably forcing Trump to make his Twitter statement.  From Talking Points Memo:   

After a week of veepstakes chaos, speculation and changed plans, Donald Trump used Twitter to announce that he had chosen Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) to be his vice presidential candidate:

I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M.

Pence was on a short list that reportedly also included New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Outlets began reporting mid-day Thursday that Pence had been selected, and the campaign had an official unveiling event planned for Friday in New York. After the attack in Nice, however, Trump announced that he would be delaying the event. As Trump's Tweet Friday said, the campaign is now planning an event for Saturday morning.

COMMENT:  Now everything is set for the Republican convention, which starts Monday.  I think this convention is far more important than most.  It will be the first chance for Trump to address the nation as the formal nominee of his party.  It will be a critical speech in which he must fight the portrayal of him as an out-of-control lightweight, yet maintain his image as a smash-the-establishment renegade.  Not an easy task.  We'll know the verdict in a week.

July 15,  2016