Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence says Trump's trip to Mexico shows that Trump is the kind of leader who 'drops what he’s doing' to seize an opportunity for an important meeting

The plainspoken Pence avoided Trump's famously incendiary rhetoric about Mexico, a country he has blamed for sending 'rapists,' drugs, and 'bad ones' streaming across the border, instead referring to our 'neighbors to the south.' 

'The opportunity to sit down with our neighbors to the the south and to have these two leaders begin a relationship that will be a foundation for negotiations I think should be a real insight to millions of Americans who are getting a glimpse here of the kind of president that Donald Trump will be,' Pence said.

He dismissed Pena Nieto's comments in March that Trump's 'strident rhetoric' was comparable to Hitler and Mussolini's, and dodged a question about whether Trump would apologize for some of his own language.

'I think President Pena Nieto has actually walked that language back. I think he said he was referring to philosophical points,' said Pence.

Pence cast the meeting as the beginning of negotiations, although Pena Nieto has said there is 'no scenario' where Mexico will pay for the border wall Trump says he will build.

'Today is really the beginning of a conversation. Negotiations will follow this, but it all proceeds out of a relationship,' Pence said.

He called Trump, 'not your standard issue politician, but really a business leader that knows you first got to sit down with people, you gotta look them in the eye you got to tell them where you stand. They can express their positions and that’s where real negotiations can begin.'

He indicated Trump won't back down from his positions. 'I am very confident that my running mate will be very clear with President Pena Nieto about our priority of securing the border, building the wall, making it clear that we are going to have a new admin that deals with and confronts not only illegal immigration but the flow of drugs and the heartbreak of human tragedy that is coming across our borders,' Pence said.

'I give the lion’s share of the credit to Donald Trump. Both of us are campaigning nonstop. I mean Hillary’s in hiding. I really don’t know where she’s been other than I hear she’s going to fundraisers. Donald Trump and I have literally been canvassing all across the country.

In an appearance on NBC's 'Today' show, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said the surprise Mexico visit showed Trump's leadership edge over Clinton, who traversed the globe as secretary of state, but whom Trump regularly attacks for her 'bad judgement.'

'I'm sorry that Secretary Clinton is not going,' Conway said of the bilateral meeting. 'I feel like she keeps following the leader and we're the leader here.'