WAHINGTON: Virginia Senator Tim Kaine has attended his first rally as Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate, saying: "America was not built on fear".

In remarks seen as attacking Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Mr Kaine also said the businessman had left "a trail of broken promises. The 58-year-old moderate Democrat could appeal to Republicans who have been unsettled by Trump's candidacy.

Trump said Clinton and Kaine "don't look presidential to me".

At the event in Florida, Kaine 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."

Correspondents said Kaine's comments were pitched to appeal to more left-leaning Democrats, who may have supported Clinton's one-time rival, Senator Bernie Sanders.

The Vermont senator had waged a strong campaign in the Democratic primary, championing liberal causes such as universal health care coverage. The Trump campaign attacked Clinton's choice of running mate, dubbing the senator from Virginia "Corrupt Kaine".

As governor of the state, Kaine accepted about $160,000 (£122,000) 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," said Jason Miller, spokesman for the Trump campaign. On Twitter, Trump sought to drive a wedge between the Clinton campaign and voters who had supported Sanders.

A former mayor as well as 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.