Ending months of theatrical buildup and settling on a much younger candidate for Vice President, former US President Donald Trump named 29-year-old Senator James David Vance of Ohio his running mate for the upcoming elections in November, who could help appeal to working-class voters in critical Midwest battleground states.
Vance once criticized the former president in acid terms but has since become one of his most stalwart defenders.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network as the Republican National Convention got underway in Milwaukee.
Vance and Donald Trump — with a bandaged right ear after Saturday’s shooting — sat next to each other in Trump’s box during the convention’s opening night program.
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The pick is sure to energize Trump’s loyal base. Vance has become a fixture on the conservative media circuit and frequently spars with reporters on Capitol Hill, helping establish him as the kind of leader who could carry Trump’s mantle into the future, beginning with the next presidential election in 2028.
But the pick also means that two white men will now lead the Republican ticket at a time when Trump has sought to make inroads with Black and Latino voters, AP reported.
Who is JD Vance?
- Vance, born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, was raised by his grandparents, particularly his grandmother, whom he affectionately called “Mamaw”.
- He served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, and graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. From there, he joined a Silicon Valley investment firm before returning to Ohio to launch a nonprofit that he said would aim to develop opioid addiction treatments that might be “scaled nationally.”
- JD Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri, who traces her origins to Andhra Pradesh, was born in California and is the child of Indian immigrants, as per The New York Times. She grew up in the suburbs of San Diego. The couple got married in 2014 after graduating from Yale Law School. After his nomination, Vance said he had the full support of his Indian-origin wife.
- The 39-year-old Vance rose to national fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
- He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has become one of the staunchest champions of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, particularly on trade, foreign policy and immigration.
- As a senator, Vance has been sharply critical of continued aid to war-hit Ukraine in the Senate, a stance that has drawn odds with many Republican legislative leaders.
- The Ohio native is deeply popular with the Republican candidate’s base, and his populist message is well-suited for states that have significant working-class white populations and have suffered from de-industrialization, Reuters reported.
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- The relationship between Vance and Trump has been symbiotic. Vance’s fame grew in tandem with Trump’s unlikely rise from a reality television star to Republican presidential nominee and eventually president. During the early stages of Trump’s political career, Vance cast him as “a total fraud,” “a moral disaster” and “America’s Hitler.”
- However, like many Republicans who sought relevance in the Trump era, Vance eventually shifted his tone. He said he was proved wrong by Trump’s performance in office and evolved into one of his most steadfast defenders.
- Vance is now a Trump loyalist who has challenged the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions and civil verdicts against him and questions the results of the 2020 election.
(With inputs from agencies)