Mike Pence acknowledges President Obama was born in the U.S.

Even Mike Pence isn't buying the birther theories that his running mate Donald Trump has pushed. In a Wednesday interview with NBC News, the Republican vice presidential nominee contradicted Trump's suggestion that President Obama was not born in the United States. "Well, I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii," Pence said. "I accept his birthplace. I just don't know where he's coming from on foreign policy and on economics and on ObamaCare."

However, Pence was less willing to say that Trump should apologize for spreading the birther theory, even if he doesn't believe it — nor does Pence believe Trump's remarks will hurt the candidate's reputation among minority voters. "I think Donald Trump's record both as a businessman and as a political leader and as a patron in supporting minority efforts, and particularly supporting the advancement of the African-American community, really speaks for itself," Pence said.

As recently as last week, Trump refused to discuss whether Obama was born in the U.S., despite the fact that the White House has released public documents proving the president was born in Hawaii.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up