Donald Trump has announced that Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is his running mate. Isn’t it shocking that Trump chose a one-time critic who became a loyal ally as his running mate? Besides being a loyal ally now, Vance is the first millennial to join a major-party ticket at a time of deep concern about the advanced age of America’s political leaders.
According to Trump, after much lengthy deliberation and thought, he deems Vance fit to be the vice president of the United States. Following Trump’s declaration, Vance formally received his party’s nomination after walking onto the convention floor to Merle Haggard’s “America First.”
He and Trump, who had a large bandage on his right ear after Saturday’s shooting, sat side-by-side in Trump’s box during the convention’s opening night program.
Who Is JD Vance?
JD Vance, 39, rose to national fame with his 2016 memoir publication, “Hillbilly Elegy.” In 2022, he was elected to the Senate, and ever since, he has become one of the determined champions of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
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However, Vance is relatively untested in national politics and joins Trump’s ticket at an extraordinary moment in American history. It’s no news that there was an attempted assassination of Trump at a rally on Saturday, July 13.
The assassination scene shook the campaign, reinforcing the importance of those who are one heartbeat away from the presidency. Vance faced criticism amid the whole incident when he made a post on X, suggesting that President Joe Biden was to blame for the violence.
Vance wrote, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
JD Vance Bio
Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. He served in Iraq and later earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. As mentioned earlier, Vance became popular with his 2016 bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was published as Trump was first running for president.
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Hillbilly Elegy” also introduced Vance to the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. loved the book and knew of Vance when he went to launch his political career. The two hit it off and have remained friends.
Trump cherishes personal relationships, and he and Vance have been on good terms. In fact, they speak on the phone more regularly than you think. Aside from their friendship, Trump often compliments Vance’s beard, saying he “looks like a young Abraham Lincoln.”
How Did Vance Go From Never-Trumper to a Friend?
Least-expected friendships usually turn out to be the best. It’s funny and surprising to see the strong bond between Vance, a “never-Trump” Republican in 2016, and Trump himself. Back then, Vance labeled Trump as “dangerous” and “unfit” for office.
Vance’s wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, an Indian American, also criticized Trump’s racist rhetoric, saying he could be “America’s Hitler.” Fast forward to 2021, and Vance had a different opinion about Trump when he met him.
Both men downplayed Vance’s past scathing criticism. Once Trump became the president, Vance became a fierce Trump ally on Capitol Hill, unceasingly defending Trump’s policies and behavior. Just so you know, Vance is also a leading conservative voice.
According to Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, Vance is a leading voice for the conservative movement on pressing issues like a shift away from interventionist foreign policy, free market economics, and “American culture at large.”
Many democrats call Vance an extremist, citing provocative positions Vance has taken but sometimes later amended. For instance, Vance signaled support for a national 15-week abortion ban during his Senate run, then softened that stance once Ohio voters overwhelmingly backed a 2023 abortion rights amendment.
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