Clinton’s running-mate greets crowd in Spanish, lashes out at Trump

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine addressed the crowd in Spanish in his first rally as Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate.

“Bienvenidos a todos en nuestro pais, porque somos Americanos todos [Welcome to our country, because we are all Americans],” he told the crowd gathered at the Florida International University.

He said that he and Clinton will be “companeros de almas [soulmates] in this great lucha [fight] ahead.”

In his speech, Kaine lashed out at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, arguing that he had left a “trail of broken promises” and that he “leaves a trail of wrecked lives everywhere he goes”.

He said that “America was not built on fear”, called on Trump to release his tax earnings, and criticised his business dealings, including his Atlantic City casinos and Trump University.

He also recalled his time fighting housing discrimination as a young lawyer, saying: "If you want to be right, be a pessimist, if you want to do right, be an optimist. I like to do right."

The Trump campaign attacked Clinton's choice of running mate, dubbing the Virginia Senator "Corrupt Kaine".

As governor of the state, Kaine accepted about $160,000 worth of gifts from political supporters, which was legal under the state's lax gift laws.

"If you think Crooked Hillary and Corrupt Kaine are going to change anything in Washington, it's just the opposite," Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller said.

On Twitter, Trump sought to drive a wedge between the Clinton campaign and voters who had supported Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic nomination.

“Tim Kaine is, and always has been, owned by the banks. Bernie supporters are outraged, was their last choice. Bernie fought for nothing!” Trump tweeted.

A former mayor as well governor, Kaine is an experienced politician and has been thoroughly vetted. He was on the short list to be President Barack Obama's running mate in 2008.

His home state of Virginia is seen as a key battleground in the election. Vice-presidential candidates can typically give tickets a slight advantage in their home states.