Pence got thrown under a bus today, which was business as usual for Trump. Picture: AFP

The vice-presidential nominee did the rounds on morning television on Monday, addressing reports that he was considering dropping off the ticket after he first heard about Trump’s vulgar comments last week.

“I’ll always keep my conversation with Donald Trump and my family private but it’s absolutely false to suggest that at any point in time we considered dropping off this ticket,” Pence told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota in an interview on New Day.

“It’s the greatest honour of my life to be nominated by my party to be the next vice president of the United States of America.”

The Indiana Governor then addressed Trump’s now infamous p***y remarks — a 2005 recording which shows him verbally demeaning women.

“The fact is, as I said on Saturday, I couldn’t condone, I couldn’t defend those remarks. I encouraged Donald Trump on Friday to apologise for them, he did, he expressed his personal remorse.

“But I also encouraged him Saturday to take that to the American people, to show his heart. And when he said on national television that he wasn’t proud of it, he was embarrassed by it, I do believe that he expressed himself straight from his heart to the American people, but then he moved on.”

Speaking on MSNBC, Pence said: “I believe in redemption and I believe the American people believe in grace and that’s the centrepiece of my faith.”

But anchor Stephanie Ruhle wasn’t letting him off that easily. “Is grabbing a vagina or using your power to kiss a woman, whether she wants it or not, an act of grace?” she asked.

Pence answered: “Donald Trump made it clear that those were only words last night, that he hadn’t engaged in any of that behaviour and I believe him ... I’m honoured to be standing with him and I’m going to be fighting every day between now and election day to bring home a great victory for the American people.”

Pence’s confirmation that he plans to stick with Trump through the election, a little less than a month away, comes after the Republican nominee flatly contradicted his running mate on Syria policy during Sunday night’s second presidential debate.

The extraordinary moment occurred on live television, with tens of millions of people watching — which is pretty much unheard of in an election campaign, when the two halves of the ticket are supposed to be perfectly in sync.

Trump ran into trouble when he criticised Hillary Clinton’s stance towards Russia and Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian government.

“[Clinton] talks tough, she talks very tough against Vladimir Putin and against Assad. She talks in favour of the rebels. She does not even know who the rebels are,” Trump said.

“She wants to fight, she wants to fight for rebels. There is only one problem. We don’t even know who the rebels are.

“I do not like Assad at all but they are killing ISIS, Russia is killing ISIS.”

Trump at the second presidential debate. Pic: AFPSource:AFP

Moderator Martha Raddatz jumped in, trying to clarify Trump’s position.

“I want to remind you what your running mate said. He said provocations by Russia need to be met by American strength, and that if Russia continues to be involved in air strikes along with the Syrian government forces, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike the military targets of the Assad regime,” Raddatz pointed out.

“He and I have not spoken, and I disagree,” Trump replied. “I disagree. I think we need to knock out ISIS. Right now Syria is fighting ISIS. We have people who want to fight both at the same time. Syria is no longer Syria. Syria is Russia and it is Iran, who she [Clinton] made strong.

“I believe we have to get ISIS. We have to worry about ISIS before we can get to much more.”

Trump’s assessment of Assad and Putin’s intentions in Syria was a little iffy, but regardless, he threw Pence under the bus without a moment of hesitation.

Raddatz was right. During last week’s vice-presidential debate, Pence said the United States should consider taking military action against the Assad regime in Syria. He also had some very harsh words for Russia.

“Hillary Clinton’s top priority when she became Secretary of State was the Russian reset. After the Russian reset, the Russians invaded Ukraine and took over Crimea. And the small and bullying leader of Russia is now dictating terms to the United States,” Pence said.

“I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue, I should say, to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo.”

Mike Pence during the vice-presidential debate. Pic: AFPSource:AFP

This is an utterly bizarre situation. Trump and Pence are running to be president and vice president in the same administration, but the two men are presenting completely different views on foreign policy to voters.

By Trump’s reckoning, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad are both focused on defeating the Islamic State in Syria. According to Pence, the Assad regime is murdering civilians and Russia is enabling it.

Trump thinks he can orchestrate a friendship between Russia and the United States, while at the same time, Pence is actively arguing for military strikes against Russia’s close ally.

Trump has been complimentary of Putin on multiple occasions, calling him a “strong leader”, among other things. Pence just described Putin as “small and bullying”.

You could be forgiven for thinking these guys were running against each other.

Trump’s blunt debate slapdown could not have come at a worse time either. Questions about Pence were already swirling over the weekend after the release of the explosive video from 2005, in which Trump bragged he could “do anything” to women because of his celebrity status.

Pence, a staunch social conservative, didn’t even try to defend Trump. “As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released yesterday. I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them,” he said in a statement.

According to a source close to the Trump campaign, who spoke to Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker, Pence was “absolutely apoplectic”, “melting down” and “inconsolable” after the video was leaked. He also cancelled plans to appear on Trump’s behalf in Wisconsin.

Could Mike Pence walk? Pic: APSource:AP

Following the debate, Pence took to Twitter to publicly congratulate his running mate, saying he is “proud to stand with” him as the pair “MAGA” — the acronym for ‘Make America Great Again’.

But whatever happens in private in the coming days, the two men can’t afford to present anything other than a united front.

“That there is a significant rift between Pence and Trump is in little doubt,” the conservative news site RedState wrote Sunday.

“This is no honeymoon. It is at best a buddy cop movie where we’re still in the part where they haven’t become buddies yet.”

We can’t put it any better than that.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Mandel NGANSource:AFP