The 11-year-old who made national headlines this week for questioning Mike Pence about Donald Trump’s rhetoric said on Friday that he “wasn’t trying to be hostile” and emphasized his support for the Republican presidential nominee.
“I really think that listening to a few bad words coming out of Donald Trump is a lot better than people getting blown up by terrorists, people getting burned alive, people getting their heads chopped off, and people getting drowned,” Matthew Schricker said in an interview on “New Day” on CNN.
Schricker was joined by his mom, Mary, for the interview, and discussed the moment at the Pence event Thursday when he questioned Trump’s running mate. At a town hall in North Carolina, Schricker had pressed Pence on his continual “softening up” of Trump’s language and policies. “Is this going to be your role in the administration?” he asked. The GOP vice presidential nominee, taken aback, paused before reiterating his support for Trump.
As Schricker explained on Friday, “I mean, I wasn’t trying to be hostile in trying to accuse him of anything. I was just — I’m full on with the Trump campaign.”
Schricker also said that if he were given the chance to question Trump, he would ask “what role will his children have in the Trump Foundation? That would be very interesting because his children … they are totally masterminds.”
The precocious young Trump supporter was also asked by “New Day” co-host Poppy Harlow if he had any interest in a political career for himself. Schricker said he was primarily interested in becoming a lawyer, but conceded that a future in politics was a “slim possibility” despite being put off by “all the insulting flying around in politics.”
Asked what he would do if he were president, Schricker carefully responded, “I don’t know what the issues will be in the future.”
Slim possibility or not, “New Day” co-host John Berman joked about Schricker’s political potential: “Already dodging questions — he’s a politician already!”