Trump Chooses Sen. J.D. Vance As 2024 Vice Presidential Running Mate

On Monday, at the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. former President Donald Trump announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate, hoping that the young senator will bring fresh energy to the Republican ticket.

Trump’s announcement at the RNC, where he was officially named the party’s nominee, came just days after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, an incident that highlighted the importance of choosing a running mate who could potentially succeed him.

Vance, a former Trump critic turned ardent ally, went further than many by directly attributing the shooting to the rhetoric of President Joe Biden and his campaign.

“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 assassination attempt,” Vance wrote on X.

Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small steel town, and was primarily raised by his maternal grandparents while his mother struggled with drug addiction.

After serving in the Marines and doing public affairs work in Iraq, he graduated from Ohio State University and attended Yale Law School.

Vance then became a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and gained renown for his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which describes his experiences growing up poor in Ohio and Kentucky.

The publication of his book coincided with Trump’s political rise, making Vance, then a “never Trump” conservative, sought after for his perspective on Trump’s popularity among white working-class voters.

At the time, Vance criticized Trump’s immigration policies, calling him “reprehensive” and a “cultural heroin.” However, his views shifted during Trump’s presidency.

By the time he entered the Republican Primary for a Senate seat in Ohio in 2021, he won Trump’s backing by embracing his policies about election fraud, leading him to victory in a crowded primary.

Vance quickly emerged as a leading defender of Trump, joining a group of about a dozen Republican senators advocating for Trump’s MAGA ideology, particularly his isolationist foreign policy views.

He has often clashed with longtime Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and has frequently appeared in the media to defend Trump’s claims of election fraud, his actions on Jan. 6 and his legal challenges.

Vance also notably held a news conference outside the Manhattan courthouse during Trump’s criminal hush money trial where he criticized the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, while Trump was under a gag order preventing him from doing so.

Since Vance aligns closely with Trump on nearly every issue, their similarities could potentially hinder the Trump campaign. It remains uncertain whether Vance has much appeal to moderate or independent voters who are skeptical about Trump’s policies or past actions.

However, Vance, 39, is the first millennial nominated to a major party ticket, which could be appealing to voters concerned about the ages of both Trump and Biden.

In the months preceding Trump’s decision on his running mate decision, some Republicans, including major donors like billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, lobbied against Vance, advocating for other top contenders such as Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota or Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida).

Despite Vance’s relatively limited governing experience compared to other contenders, he endorsed and prompted Trump’s claims about the election fraud more vigorously than any other candidate, illustrating how loyalty to Trump has become almost a prerequisite in Republican politics.

Democrats are expected to criticize Vance for his anti-abortion policies. However, he has recently softened his stance, aligning more closely with Trump’s views on the issue.