Trump praised Mike Pence's performance at the debate, claiming it demonstrated his judgment.(Reuters)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took credit for the widely praised debate performance of his running mate Mike Pence, saying it demonstrated his leadership skills and reflected well on his own judgment and decision making.
"Mike Pence did an incredible job. And I'm getting a lot of credit, because that's really my first so-called choice. That was my first hire, as we would say in Las Vegas," Donald Trump told his supporters at an election rally in Reno, Nevada.
"Last night, America also got to look firsthand at my judgment and that was judgment you know you need, judgment for people, for deals," the 70-year-old said.
Independent observers and mainstream media have said that Mr Pence won the vice presidential debate against his Democratic nominee Tim Kaine.
"Thank you, Mike Pence... Mike had the single most decisive victory in the history of vice presidential debates. I believe that," Mr Trump said.
"Donald Trump called me late last night from Nevada to congratulate me on the debate. That really meant the world to me. It truly did. Some people think I won. But I'll leave that to others. You know, what I can tell you is from where I sat, Donald Trump won the debate," Mr Pence said at an election rally in Virginia.
"Mr Trump's vision to make America great again won the debate. And when we take that vision to every corner of Virginia and every corner of this great nation, this movement, that man, and that vision are going to win all the way to the White House," he said.
"I truly do believe Donald Trump embodies the American spirit -- strong, freedom-loving, independent, optimistic, and willing to fight everyday for what he believes in. And he's going to make America great again," he asserted.
Describing him as a doer, Mr Pence said when Mr Trump does his talking, he doesn't go tiptoeing around all those thousands of rules of political correctness that the media puts in the way of men and women that want to make a difference.
"He speaks from his mind. He speaks from his heart. The American people hear him loud and clear. And they're going to send that man and that message all the way to the oval office," he added.
Mr Pence alleged that when Ms Hillary Clinton was serving as secretary of state, she had a private foundation that accepted contributions from foreign donors and foreign governments.
"And then she had a private server, presumably so communications about what she was doing there would not be susceptible to public disclosure and public accountability. We'll never know because we're still waiting on those 33,000 e-mails that she hasn't revealed," he said.