DAVIDSON, N.C. _ Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine told supporters at Davidson College on Wednesday that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's apology for crude remarks caught on tape wasn't sincere, and he also questioned Trump's refusal to release his tax returns.
Kaine began the rally by saying he's proud to be supporting a "strong woman who will make history."
"I am so proud to be a strong man supporting a strong woman who will make history," Kaine said. "Do I have strong women out there? Do I have strong men who like supporting strong women?"
Kaine then spoke about Sunday's debate between Clinton and Trump.
"That debate might have been one of the more surreal things I have seen," Kaine said.
He added that Clinton "doesn't believe in trashing immigrants and Muslims."
Kaine then spoke about the controversy over a videotape published Friday of Trump speaking in 2005 about him being able to grope women because he is a celebrity. Trump has said he was wrong to make the comments but called them "locker-room talk."
"Donald Trump to my satisfaction didn't demonstrate sincerity in his apology," he said. "He tried to diminish the impact by saying it's locker-room talk. I don't think that's the case. I don't think that's what mean do. It's abusive. It's abusive words."
Kaine spent part of his speech discussing Trump's refusal to release his tax returns. He said Trump promised in 2014 that he would release his tax returns, but backed off that pledge.
"There are 2 million families like mine with children serving in the military," Kaine said. "Who supports the military? Who supports the VA system? People like us (who pay taxes).
He added: "A lot of words come to mind that I'm not going to say, but smart is not one of them."
Kaine also said that Trump wants the U.S. to become a "Deportation Nation," a reference to Trump having said he would deport all undocumented workers.
Kaine's visit came two days after GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence rallied supporters in Charlotte and two days before Trump holds a rally at PNC Pavilion. Pence also was scheduled to campaign in Raleigh later Wednesday.
The North Carolina Republican Party released a statement before Kaine's speech began. It referred to emails published by WikiLeaks after a hack of a Clinton campaign account.
"Tim Kaine's last-minute push to engage millennials who have been reluctant to embrace Hillary Clinton's candidacy comes after a day of bombshells for the Clinton campaign," the party said. "Yesterday, voters learned that President Obama's Justice Department colluded with the Clinton campaign on Clinton's email scandal, the current DNC Chair gave Clinton a heads-up on a forum question during the Democratic primary and that Clinton's team tried to conflate the Benghazi scandal and her email scandal."
