Mike Pence compares Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan during Reagan Library speech

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence drew comparisons between Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan while speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Thursday.

Pence, the running mate for Republican presidential nominee, made the trip to the hot spot for GOP candidates during recent elections.

Pence acknowledged that Trump and Ronald Reagan had two very different styles, but said they also had similar characteristics.

"Different men with different styles," Pence said. "But there are fundamental similarities."

"Truth and toughness are the common denominators between these two uncommonly strong leaders," he added.

Pence also noted Ronald Reagan's focus on the economy, and noted that philosophy was still relevant during Trump's campaign. He also said Ronald Reagan was in many ways a Washington outsider just like Trump.

"In his voice they heard the rare and unmistakable sound of a man unbound by Washington," Pence said of Ronald Reagan. "In his voice they heard, for the first time in a long time, the truth. Ronald Reagan spoke truth to the American people just like Donald Trump does."

The governor of Indiana was raising funds on the campaign trail in California while Trump campaigned in Cleveland as he looked to gain ground in the crucial presidential battleground of Ohio.

The Reagan Library opened in 1991 and houses the Air Force One airplane the Republican used during his presidency. Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure in March.