J.D. Vance is a unique choice as a running mate – let’s look at who he is (Picture: Reuters)
Former US President Donald Trump has announced Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will be his running mate in the 2024 Election.
The Republican Senator was speculated to be one of many choices being considered by President Trump ahead of his official announcement at the Republican National Convention this week – but still took some by surprise.
The 39-year-old was a former critic of President Trump – having once referred to the then-president as ‘America’s Hitler’ – but changed his tune after receiving an endorsement for his Senate run in 2022.
Mr Vance is a best-selling author, Yale Law School graduate and had a tough childhood.
Who is J.D. Vance?
J.D. shares three children with his wife, Usha (Picture: Instagram)
Born in Middletown, Ohio, J.D. was raised by his grandparents and has called his grandmother – affectionately known as ‘Mamaw’ – his ‘saving grace’.
J.D. enlisted in the US Marines in 2005 and went on to serve in the Iraq War, before returning home to attend Ohio State University and Yale Law School.
He worked in venture capital for years and went on to marry his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, whom he shares three children with.
In 2016, Mr Vance shot to stardom with his memoir entitled ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, documenting his life and reflecting on the hardships in rural Appalachia, where his grandparents were from. Mr Vance, however, never lived there.
His book became a bestseller as Americans looked for explanations as to how Trump won rural America (Picture: AP)
The book became a movie in 2020 starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close (Picture: AP)
The Appalachian region is one of the poorest in the United States.
His book was turned into a movie in 2020, featuring Amy Adams, Glenn Close and Gabriel Basso.
Mr Vance then went on to run for a Senate seat in Ohio in 2022, which he won, with an endorsement from Trump.
A Trump critic turned Trump supporter
Mr Vance once described himself as a ‘never Trump guy’ (Picture: Getty)
From 2015 onwards, Mr Vance was a staunch critic of President Trump, having once compared him to Hitler.
He wrote on X on separate occasions: ‘I’m a “never Trump” guy. I never liked him.’ and ‘I find him reprehensible.’
He privately wrote in a Facebook message back in 2016: ‘I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.’
So what changed? Well, an endorsement from Trump in 2022 for his Senate run didn’t hurt.
In early 2021, Mr Vance downplayed the suggestion that President Trump’s supporters took part in the January 6 insurrection on the capitol.
In June, he told the New York Times of his change of heart on President Trump: ‘I allowed myself to focus so much on the stylistic element of Trump that I completely ignored the way in which he substantively was offering something very different on foreign policy, on trade, on immigration.
Mr Vance is also reportedly close with President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
What are JD Vance’s politics?
Anti-abortion, against ‘never-ending’ support for Ukraine (Picture: AP)
Mr Vance’s politics are overwhelmingly conservative – though he differs with his running mate on some issues.
Since joining the Senate in 2022, he’s been one of the biggest sceptics of aid to Ukraine as they continue to fight against Russia.
He said in a speech: ‘I certainly admire the Ukrainians who are fighting against Russia, but I do not think that it is in America’s interest to continue to fund an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine.’
Mr Vance is also anti-abortion, even in the case of incest or rape. He did say he supports it in cases when the mother’s life is in danger.
Mr Vance has also introduced bills to withhold federal funds for colleges where there have been encampments and protests against the war in Gaza.
He’s also a fierce advocate to cut off the Chinese government from US capital markets – if they don’t follow international trade law.
Mr Vance also has doubted climate change, and pushed for oil.
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