Pence: Midterms were 'a great win for our side'
Vice President Pence downplayed last week's midterm elections that gave Democrats control of the House, arguing in a new interview that "we didn't really see that blue wave in the House of Representatives come our way."
"We were very encouraged by the results. We thought Tuesday's midterm elections were a great win for our side making history in the senate, electing some great governors around the country," he told NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard in an interview during an overseas trip to Singapore.
"I really do believe that we're gonna continue to be able to build on the progress and the momentum in this country."
The tone matches that of President Trump, who described the election as "incredible day" during a press conference the morning after Election Day. There, Trump played up the GOP's performance in the Senate while not focusing much on the House, where Democrats have picked up at least 34 seats and could flip more as final votes are counted.
At the point Trump spoke at that press conference, it was still possible for Republicans to net as many as four seats in the Senate once all the votes were counted. But with the dust settling, it's now clear that the party can only gain a net of two seats at best if Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott holds onto his narrow lead through the state's recount.
Democrats have also won a handful of congressional seats in races that had been left uncalled after Election Day, and could eventually end up netting almost 40 seats once all the races are called.
During his interview with NBC News, Pence also defended the president's criticism of the vote-counting process in Florida, where top statewide races are in a recount, and Arizona, where the results of the senatorial election were delayed by a slow vote count.
Asked about Trump's comments, including an unfounded accusation that voters showed up to polling places in disguises to vote multiple times, Pence said that the president wants to protect election integrity.
"The integrity of the vote is the foundation, and the president and our administration continue to support efforts to make sure that every ones vote is counted, and counted accurately and fairly," he said.
You can watch the full interview, where Pence discusses topics including Trump's upcoming summit with North Korea and the controversial appointment of Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, here.