Tim Kaine: I trust Hillary Clinton with my son’s life

PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Tim Kaine defended Hillary Clinton against Republican attacks Wednesday night in his first speech since officially becoming the Democratic nominee for vice president. Kaine also debuted an impression of Donald Trump, mocking the Republican nominee for making promises he doesn’t keep.

“Now, last week in Cleveland, we heard a lot about trust,” Kaine said of the Republican National Convention. “So let’s talk about trust. I want to tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton.”

The former Virginia governor said he trusted Clinton because she has a passion for helping kids and families — a passion that started before she entered public life. “Donald Trump has a passion, too — it’s himself!” Kaine quipped.

“On a personal level, as he’s serving our nation abroad, I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life,” Kaine said to applause. His son, Nat, is a Marine serving in Europe, defending “the very NATO allies that Donald Trump now says he would abandon,” Kaine told the crowd.

“Now, you know who I don’t trust? Donald Trump,” he asked.

Kaine then did an impression of Trump, saying, “Believe me” as he made various claims about what the mogul would do as president, as the crowd laughed.

“Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth,” he said. Delegates chanted “not one word!” in support of Kaine’s speech.

“To me, it just seems like our nation, it is just too great to put it in the hands of a slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting, one-man wrecking crew,” Kaine said. “Do you believe him? Does anybody here believe him?”

Kaine’s speech was aimed squarely at a worrisome statistic for the Clinton campaign. Only about 30 percent of American voters said they found Clinton trustworthy in a recent CNN poll, a smaller share of voters than trust Trump. That’s down 20 points from March, when 50 percent said they thought she was honest. Kaine, a Midwesterner who is known for his collegiality, was introduced to the convention with a short video that mentioned he’s lived in the same house in Virginia for two decades and attends the same church where he married his wife. His speech focused on lending authenticity to Clinton while painting Trump as a liar and a cheat.

Clinton tapped Kaine for the job just five days ago, and introduced her VP candidate at a Saturday rally in Miami, where he showed off his fluent Spanish. The choice disappointed some in the progressive wing of the party, who object to Kaine’s former support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and his personal objection to abortion. A few delegates held up signs protesting the TPP while Kaine spoke, but they did not significantly interrupt him with boos or chanting.

Kaine paid tribute to Bernie Sanders during his speech. “We all should feel the ‘Bern,’ and we all should not want to get ‘burned’ by the other guy,” he said to applause.

Kaine also stressed his own commitment to progressive causes as a former civil rights lawyer who “took on banks and landlords.”
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