Mike Pence repeatedly slammed Tim Kaine for being prepared during Tuesday night’s debate, but it’s very clear Pence had prepared a few lines of his own. One of those? Claiming Kaine and Hillary Clinton are the insulting ones, not Donald Trump. Let’s go to the transcript—and to the New York Times’ running tally of 273 people, places, and things Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter. For a bit of a challenge (but only a bit) we’ll keep it to things Trump has tweeted in the last 60 days.
Pence: “Well, let me—let me say first and foremost that, Senator, you and Hillary Clinton would know a lot about an insult- driven campaign. It really is remarkable.”
Trump on Hillary Clinton: “has only created jobs at the FBI and DOJ!” “Crooked” “Crooked” “Owned by Wall St and Politicians” “nasty to Sanders supporters behind closed doors” “Crooked” “Crooked” “suffers from BAD JUDGEMENT!” “Crooked” “terrible!” “not getting the job done” “taking the day off again, she needs the rest” “puts the plane behind her like I have been doing from the beginning” “copying my airplane rallies” “Crooked” “Crooked”
(That’s just a small sample, but you get the gist, right?)
Pence: “… the campaign of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine has been an avalanche of insults.”
Trump on former Miss Universe Alicia Machado: “disgusting (check out sex tape and past)” “a con” “my worst Miss U.”
(Again, that’s just on Twitter. Trump had plenty more to say about Machado in television interviews.)
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Pence: “I was listening to the avalanche of insults coming out of Senator Kaine a minute ago.”
Trump on Mika Brzezinski: “crazy and very dumb” “had a mental breakdown while talking about me” “crazy” “very insecure” “clown”
(Funnily enough, Trump hasn’t had nearly as much to say about Joe Scarborough lately. Hmmm, I wonder what might make Brzezinski a more tempting target for Trump.)
Pence: “He says ours is an insult-driven campaign. Did you all just hear that? Ours is an insult-driven campaign?”
Trump on President Obama: “not a natural deal maker” “Only makes bad deals!” “should have gone to Louisiana days ago, instead of golfing. Too little, too late!”
(Obama went to Louisiana to survey flooding destruction at the time the state’s governor asked he do so.)
Pence: “I mean, to be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all of the things that you've said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of our supporters were a basket of deplorables.”
Trump on Republican Sen. Jeff Flake: “Really sad” “a very weak and ineffective Senator” “Sad!” “weak”
Pence: “I'm just trying to keep up with the insult-driven campaign on the other side of the table.”
Trump on CNN: “bad product” “really bad” “(Clinton News Network)” “little watched” “ratings are so low - and getting worse” “just doesn't get it” “Boring anti-Trump panelists, mostly losers in life!” “unwatchable”
In fact, while Pence was waxing sorrowful about insults, Trump was busy tweeting insults.