Lauren Fox contributed reporting.
By the time the vice presidential debate came to a close Tuesday night, many conservatives had concluded that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) had a better debate performance than Donald Trump and were longing for a Republican presidential ticket with Pence at the top.
When asked if Trump could learn anything from Pence’s debate performance, former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), a Trump supporter on hand in the post-debate spin room at Longwood University, said, “Yeah, everything.”
“I thought Pence did a superior job,” Brown added. “Donald Trump, as I said before, missed a lot of easy softball responses last time.”
Conservative pundits on Twitter noted that Pence outperformed Trump, some wishing that Pence was the presidential nominee.
Former Ted Cruz spokeswoman Amanda Carpenter:
So my best hope for 2016 is that Trump wins, gets impeached in January, and Pence is POTUS by Feb. We down with this?
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) October 5, 2016
If the RNC would sell a PENCE 2016 sticker with Trump crossed off of it, I could buy it.
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) October 5, 2016
National Review editor Rich Lowry:
If Trump had been half as good as Pence last Monday, the race might look different right now
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) October 5, 2016
Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol:
Pence’s foreign policy is fine. Too bad it isn’t Trump’s.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) October 5, 2016
National Review writer David French:
Donald, are you taking notes? This is how you pivot to your opponent’s weakness.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) October 5, 2016
Townhall politics editor and Fox News contributor Guy Benson:
And viewers couldn’t help but see how much better Pence is than Trump. https://t.co/CrjEYuB4Fu
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) October 5, 2016
Weekly Standard writer Stephen Hayes:
Pence speaks the language of conservatives in a way Trump does not and cannot. Has to be reassuring to some iffy GOPers.
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) October 5, 2016
Pence was able to avoid being baited into defending Trump. Trump was not.
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) October 5, 2016
Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro:
Man, wouldn’t it have been awesome if we’d actually nominated the guy who wins debate with conservative ideas instead of the idjit.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 5, 2016
Former Fox News contributor and “The View” co-host Jedediah Bila:
Pence is doing what Trump didn’t do on the Clinton Foundation and foreign donors/access. Well done on that.
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) October 5, 2016
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) October 5, 2016
Conservative radio host Dana Loesch:
Pence is bringing up all the issues Trump failed to mention in the first presidential debate. #VPdebate
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 5, 2016
Pence had smart strategy for answers. He didn’t let Kaine throw him or get under his skin. He met provocation w grace. LESSON HERE #VPdebate
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 5, 2016
Daily Caller writer Jamie Weinstein:
How will Trump react to media saying Pence a far better debater than him?
— Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) October 5, 2016
Pence even earned praise from Erick Erickson, one of the NeverTrump movement’s leaders:
Pence has convinced me conservatives should not write him off for 2020 just by being Trump’s VP nominee. He was solid.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) October 5, 2016
And as noted on the other thread…that’s going to be a big problem for Trump and his campaign going forward.
Particularly for Trump, whose ego simply cannot handle being upstaged. But Conway is going to be throttling him to just let it go. And Hillary of course, won’t.
She just got another burr to slip under Trump’s skin in the next debate.
Pence is really not all that bright or that impressive. Just google his positions on LGBT rights or funding for HIV research, among others. He’s really a far right, almost fringe candidate, and wasn’t impressive as Governor of Indiana.
For Republicans to be drooling over him just shows how far they’ve fallen.
Horseradish under his tail.
You stupid GOP assholes: you picked Trump. You endorsed. You strapped on the knee-pads. You’re going to lose. Pence’s career is OVER. Trump will be beaten like a gong.
Fuck you corporate assholes.
Here’s the thing - we might want to start treating Pence like he is at the top of their ticket. Trump is such an unstable wild card that he really could drop out at any point during this thing. I wasn’t kidding weeks back when I wondered aloud if Trump is just the vehicle to get rightwing radical Christian extremist Mike Pence into the White House - a position he could never win on his own.
That tweet from “Amanda Carpenter” - hard to tell if that’s the hope or that’s been the plan all along.
I really wish Kaine would’ve went after Pence instead of rehashing attacks on Trump.