Mike Pence on Tuesday defended Donald Trump’s prior comment that women should be punished for having abortions by saying Trump isn’t a polished politician like his Democratic adversaries.
“He’s not a polished politician like you and Hillary Clinton,” Pence said, referring to his debate opponent Tim Kaine and the Democratic nominee.
Kaine retorted during the debate in Farmville, Va., that Trump’s comments reveal Trump’s true nature.
“Why don’t you trust women?” Kaine asked Pence. “Why doesn’t Donald Trump trust women to make this choice for themselves?”
In the spring, Trump came under fire when he said women who get an abortion should be prosecuted. While Pence dismissed those comments as remarks from a candidate new to politics, Kaine insisted they reflect Trump’s real feelings about the matter.
“Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Kaine said. “He is showing you who he is.”
The two vice presidential candidates engaged in a longer-than-usual exchange over the topic of abortion, with Pence expressing support for a “culture of life” and Kaine emphasizing that women should be able to make their own decisions on abortion.
Yet Pence also brought up an abortion-related topic that has made Kaine squirm at times, which is the question of whether he supports repealing the longstanding Hyde Amendment ban on taxpayer funding for abortion. While Hillary Clinton wants to ditch Hyde, Kaine initially said he wouldn’t support that idea but later said he would.
“I’ve appreciated the fact you supported the Hyde Amendment, but that’s not Hillary Clinton’s view,” Pence said. “We can stand together and create a culture of life. We’re better for it.”
