CNN's Wolf Blitzer grills Mike Pence on Trump's birtherism
Pence was answering a question about Hillary Clinton's Friday statement that "half" of the Republican nominee's supporters are a "basket of deplorables" when CNN's Wolf Blitzer tossed him a curveball.
"She should apologize and retract the entire statement without qualification," Pence said, before Blitzer cut him off by asking "Should Donald Trump apologize to President Obama for suggesting he was not born in the United States?
"Everybody knows he was born in the United States," Blitzer continued. "We've all seen the birth certificate. But to this day, Dr. Ben Carson says he should apologize, Rudy Giuliani says he was born in the United States, Kellyanne Conway says the same thing. Should he publicly just say to the president once and for all "sorry, I know you were born in Hawaii?"
"You know, we're just not talking about that issue," Pence responded. "It's a four-year-old issue."
"Why not?" Blitzer shot back.
"It's not what the American people are talking about," Pence replied. "I mean I can honestly tell you. This is the greatest privilege of my life to be running for vice president of the United States. I'm traveling all over this country. I was on the West Coast yesterday, I'm in Florida later this week, Virginia this weekend, the American people are coming together, there is a movement behind Donald Trump."
Blitzer then added that it would be "a nice gesture" for Trump to do so, adding that Pence himself has publicly stated he believes Obama was born in the US.
"Of course, of course," Pence said in response to Blitzer saying the Indiana governor believes Obama was born in Hawaii. "But so many things I have to tell you, it is just not what people are talking about."
Watch part of the interaction below: