Would-be vice-president floored by an 11-year-old

The New Daily
Aug 05, 2016, updated Aug 05, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with running mate Mike Pence. Photo: Getty

The would-be vice-president of the United States has been stunned by a curly question from an 11-year-old at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday, US time.

The New York Times has reported how Matthew Schricker put Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, right on the spot, causing the aspiring vice-president to stall and flounder as he considered his answer.

“I’ve been watching the news lately, and I’ve been noticing that you’ve been kind of softening up on Mr Trump’s policies and words,” Matthew said. “Is this going to be your role in the administration?”

Mr Pence paused for some time before trying to laugh it off, but his mind was clearly churning in the search for a credible answer.

“What did you say I’ve been doing?” Mr Pence asked in a classic stalling tactic.

“You’ve been kind of softening up on his words,” Matthew steadfastly replied.

Matthew’s question references the assertion that Mr Pence has been cleaning up after Mr Trump following a raft of gaffes over the past fortnight.

“No. 1, this boy has a future,” Mr Pence told the crowd in the city of Raleigh. “Nicely done.”

“Sometimes things don’t always come out like you mean, right?” Mr Pence says. “And Donald Trump and I are absolutely determined to work together and we have different styles, you might have noticed that.”