According to The New York Times, Pence called Trump on October 8, 2016, and told him that he would not appear at the campaign event with Ryan as a replacement for Trump and that Trump would need to handle the next 48 hours on his own, as Pence said he did not think he would be an effective surrogate for Trump.
Menurut New York Times, Pence menelepon Trump pada Sabtu, 8 Oktober 2016 dan mengatakan bahwa ia tak akan muncul pada acara kampanye dengan Ryan sebagai pegganti Trump dan Trump akan perlu menanganinya dalam waktu 48 jam ke depan sendiri, karena Pence mengatakan ia tidak berpikir dia akan menjadi pengganti yang efektif untuk Trump.