Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine — reported to be on Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential short-list — said Thursday the House Democrats’ sit-in protest pushing for gun control votes will bring the country closer to reforming gun laws.
He also said he wasn’t prepared to get in a “guessing game” over Clinton’s pick for a runningmate.
“It was a real team-building exercise. We felt the same way when we did the filibuster last week,” Kaine told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.” “We went on the floor to say it’s time for meaningful reform, because we care about the issue. But what we found was being on the floor together made us feel stronger, made us feel like we were doing what our constituents want us to do, made us feel like we’re inching closer to the day when we break the grip of gun manufacturers on Congress and actually embrace reasonable safety reforms.”
Kaine, who noted his support for Hillary Clinton’s White House run in April 2014 pre-dated her declaration for office, declined to say if he was interested in being her runningmate.
“I don’t want to get into that guessing game,” he said. “If she wins Virginia, she’s going to be president. I’m going to do everything I can to help her there, but that’s the only role I’m playing at the moment.”
Kaine also knocked presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s Wednesday speech, saying that it was filled with falsehoods about the Clinton Foundation and personal attacks.
“This guy wouldn’t know truth if it walked up to him on the street … you cannot trust anything he says,” he said.
The senator praised Clinton’s speech saying it addressed the issues affecting Americans most.
“The contrast between serious policy and just these rehashed conspiracy theories that Trump was peddling was sharp,” he said.