VP prospect Kaine tries his hand at blistering Trump
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., auditioned for Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential nod by immediately tearing into Donald Trump.
Instead of being a job creator and a principled world leader, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee would be the “you’re-fired president,” a “trash talker” and the “me-first president,” Kaine said in introducing Clinton during a rally in this northern Virginia suburb of Washington.
Kaine would be a safe vice presidential pick — a swing state moderate and former governor — and he was vetted by President Obama’s team in 2008. He is fluent in Spanish — a skill he showcased at the top of his remarks — an asset for Clinton, who counts on a strong Hispanic voter turnout.
Clinton excoriated Trump in speeches Wednesday and Thursday before audiences with large numbers of minorities, including a speech to the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Although Kaine is in the top tier of her potential vice presidential picks, he is not an attack dog like liberal firebrand Eliza- beth Warren, who’s baited Trump into combat with a series of insults on Twitter. Kaine’s introductory remarks suggest he is trying to change that impression.
“Do you want a ‘you’re-fired’ president or a ‘you’re-hired’ president?’’ Kaine asked the crowd.
He made a direct appeal to Latinos in a community with a large Hispanic population. “If you’re a Latino, he’s gonna trash-talk you,” no matter how long a person has been in the USA, Kaine said.
Clinton gave Kaine a thumbsup for his framing of the argument against Trump.
“Everything he said is absolutely on the mark,” Clinton said.