Oops! Trump: Clinton’s VP pick was bad New Jersey governor

MIAMI – Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took a shot Wednesday at Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, for doing a terrible job as governor of New Jersey.

The problem, of course, is that Kaine was governor of Virginia.

“Her running mate, Tim Kaine, who by the way, did a terrible job in New Jersey,” Trump said at a news conference in Miami. “He was not very popular in New Jersey, and he still isn’t.”

Trump might have confused Kaine with former Republican New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, pronounced the same as Kaine. Kean led the state from 1982 to 1990 while Trump was building his casino empire in Atlantic City. Kaine was governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010.

New Jersey also might have been on Trump’s mind because its current governor, Republican Chris Christie, was among Trump’s finalists for the vice-presidential nod that ultimately went to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

Trump corrected himself after someone asked if he meant Virginia.

Kean, who chaired the federal 9-11 commission, skipped this year’s Republican National Convention, the first time he’s done that since he became involved in politics, because he disagreed with Trump on too many issues.

Kean’s son, a New Jersey state senator, said the flub was a minor issue.

“It is clear that he misspoke,” said state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. “He was discussing a specific proposal in Virginia.”