THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

It was a fairly simple and straightforward political exercise that has been performed multiple times before, the formal introduction of the Vice Presidential candidate. Previously, the big guy would do the honors and then let his mini-me have a turn in the spotlight. The big guy, however, has never been Donald Trump, a man never known to share or relinquish a spotlight willingly.

It was a vice presidential announcement unlike any in modern times.

You may have missed Donald Trump’s introduction Saturday of Mike Pence as his running mate, because it turned into another nationally-televised, rambling demonstration of how the Republican campaign is all about Trump. Trump spoke for 28 minutes, alone on the stage, rarely mentioning the Indiana governor before eventually introducing him..

Some of his disconnected monologue was an effort to write, or rewrite history—Pence’s endorsement of rival Ted Cruz this spring was “really more of an endorsement for me,” Trump said.

Some was Trump explaining why Democrat Hillary Clinton is responsible for the world’s turmoil.

Some was Trump careening between boasting about his “landslide” wins, plugging his new Washington, D.C. hotel, being right on Brexit and immigration, and so on.

When he finally got to Pence, Trump didn’t convey much excitement, and eventually read from notes that described the wonders of Indiana’s economy and how Pence made it so.

It was all a vivid reminder that this campaign is largely a solo act, and that once Pence gives his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, he may rarely be noticed nationally again.

He first mentioned Pence by saying he was “my first choice,” though he reportedly was having doubts just hours before he tweeted the pick Friday morning.

Trump hardly sounded excited about his own choice. “One of the reasons is party unity, I have to be honest,” he said. “Because I’m an outsider. I want to be an outsider. I think it’s one of the reasons I won in landslides. This wasn’t close.”

Indiana? “I won Indiana big. Indiana was going to the firewall,” he recalled. Correct. Indiana’s May 3 primary was where Cruz aimed to stop Trump’s momentum. Trump won by 17 points, and Cruz dropped out that night.

Pence endorsed Cruz just before the primary. People misread that endorsement, Trump insisted.

“I learned that when Governor Pence, under tremendous pressure from establishment people, endorsed somebody else, but it was more of an endorsement for me, if you remember,” Trump said.

28 minutes of Donald Trump explaining his greatness and then "here's Mikey!" after which he fled the stage not to be seen again. I hope the popcorn growers have a bumper crop this year.