JD Vance, Ohio Republican Senator, is Donald Trump vice president nominee

Former US President Donald Trump has selected JD Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, as his vice presidential nominee on Monday (local time). Vance, 39, was once a fierce critic of Trump but has since become one of the former president’s staunchest defenders.

The announcement came on Trump’s Truth Social media website at the start of the four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to nominate the party’s presidential ticket.

“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 JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The former president praised Vance’s achievements, citing his resume, including his service in the Marine Corps, his degree from Yale Law School and his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy”.

JD Vance’s selection could increase the odds of Trump supporters turning out for the November 5 presidential election as the 39-year-old, an Ohio native, is popular with the Republican candidate’s base.

The announcement also came after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.

Before Trump announced Vance’s name as his running mate, he had told Florida Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum that they were not in the reckoning, The Hill reported.

WHO IS JD VANCE?

Born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, Vance was raised by his grandparents, particularly his grandmother, whom he affectionately called “Mamaw”. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served in the Iraq War before attending The Ohio State University and later graduating from Yale Law School.

Vance gained prominence with his 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which became a bestseller and was adapted into a Netflix movie. The book explores his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and the cultural and economic challenges faced by the white working class in the Rust Belt region.

Interestingly, Vance had criticised Trump during his successful 2016 presidential campaign, calling him “noxious” and “reprehensible”. But, later he talked about how the former president had won him over during his first White House term.

Vance launched his political career in 2021, running for the US Senate seat in Ohio and winning the Republican nomination with the endorsement of Trump. He went on to defeat Democratic nominee Tim Ryan in the general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2023.

As a senator, Vance has been vocal on issues such as the economic repercussions of immigration, the opioid crisis and the need for job growth and opportunity in the American heartland. He has also been a strong advocate for policy changes that involve community and family support to address social problems.

Before entering politics, Vance worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist and was involved in various business ventures. If elected, Vance would be 40 at the time of swearing-in and would become one of the youngest individuals to assume the vice presidency.

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.

He was also the first vice presidential contender to attend Trump’s criminal trial in New York and appear on television debates to defend the former president in contentious exchanges.

Vance has played down the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, saying he “doubted” former vice president Mike Pence’s life was in danger, despite a swarm of protesters closing on to him as Secret Service agents rushed him out of the building.

He also voiced Trump’s criticisms of the way the Justice Department prosecuted the Capitol attack rioters, alleging that the department disregarded due process protections.

(with inputs from Reuters)