Donald Trump may have been the most high-profile proponent of "birther" theories about President Barack Obama back in 2011, but his running mate says the record is clear that the president was born on U.S. soil.

"I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii," vice presidential nominee Mike Pence told reporters on his campaign plane Wednesday. "I accept his birthplace. I just don’t know where he’s coming from on foreign policy and on economics and on Obamacare.”

Asked if Trump should apologize for his public skepticism about the president's birthplace -- a push that critics decried as racially motivated –- Pence replied that Trump has a record of helping the black community.

“I think Donald Trump’s record both as a businessman and as a political leader and a patron in supporting minority efforts, and particularly supporting the advancement of the African-American community, really speaks for itself," he said.