Donald Trump launched an attack on Tim Kaine for his stance on the Trans Pacific Partnership as soon as Hillary Clinton announced he would be her running mate. The problem is that his own running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, is a big supporter of TPP, which means that he accidentally attacked his own choice for vice president as well.
Trump tweeted: Tim Kaine has been praising the Trans Pacific Partnership and has been pushing hard to get it approved. Job killer!
In 2014, Pence tweeted: Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Pence also wrote a letter to Indiana’s congressional delegation calling for support of TPP: “As you know, my administration has made job growth job number one. We passed the largest state tax cut in Indiana history, lowered the corporate income tax, reduced the regulatory burden, and have taken numerous other measures to improve the business environment and the education and workforce skills of Hoosiers. Those are things we can do at home, but reducing tariffs and other trade barriers so that Indiana businesses can enjoy increased market access and fairly compete on the world stage is something that Congress must do. I encourage your support for Trade Promotion Authority, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and any other trade-related measures when they are brought before the Congress for consideration.”
Although Trump continues to claim that he is anti-trade, his pick for VP is more pro-TPP than Clinton and Pence.