Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was widely reported to be Donald Trump’s choice for vice president on Thursday afternoon, with the decision supposed to be officially announced on Friday. On Thursday evening, Trump said he was postponing his vice presidential announcement because of the attack in Nice, France. On Friday, morning, hours before Trump broke down and made it official:
"Well, until he announces it he hasn't. Whether he wants to announce or hasn't made up his mind, I guess, are two different questions," [campaign chair Paul] Manafort told "Fox & Friends." [...]
Asked why Indiana Gov. Mike Pence would have flown to the New York City area on Thursday, Manafort remarked, "I think that Mr. Trump has reached a decision, but he hasn't -- he isn't prepared to announce it yet."
You can totally see Trump changing his mind 12 times in 24 hours, can’t you? Especially since Trump was reportedly irritated that the Pence choice leaked to the media. But what a disastrous statement about his candidacy if he can’t even commit to a vice president. Then there’s this:
"He was moved by what happened last night. It affected him and emotionally, the carnage like Paris and the idea that this is just nonstop and seems to be happening quicker and quicker in more and more places was bothersome and he thought it was totally inappropriate in the aftermath of that tragedy to do something even as important as what he was going to do this morning.
That’s a lovely spin from Manafort, but the president doesn’t get to react emotionally and just scrap his plans to do important things. This doesn’t telegraph respect (especially because it’s Trump, who never telegraphs respect). It shows weakness and indecisiveness.
The fact that Trump went ahead and tweeted that Pence was his official choice just hours before Pence’s deadline to withdraw from the Indiana gubernatorial race only makes this slightly less of a train wreck. Once again, Trump has managed to underscore what an erratic president he’d make.