By Reagan Reese
Former President Donald Trump selected Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his vice presidential candidate, announcing his decision on the first day of the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) convention.
A day ahead of his official party nomination, Trump ended the anticipation and speculation of who his running mate for the 2024 presidential election would be. Vance will now join him on the campaign trail, just a few days after the former president survived an assassination attempt. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘You Can’t Stop Him’: Trump World Reacts To Assassination Attempt On Former President)
“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 on Truth Social. “J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. J.D.’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a Major Best Seller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country. J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond….”
Vance has traveled a long arc from Trump critic to running mate.
In 2016, Vance called himself a “never-Trump guy” and labeled the future president’s policies “absurd.” However, by 2020, Vance’s view of Trump turned around, and he endorsed the Republican nominee for president.
The two would further mend their relationship in the following years. Vance issued a formal apology in 2021 for his past comments about Trump, and said he had been a good president. Trump then endorsed Vance in his 2022 run for Senate after the pair met at Mar-a-Lago.
Vance, a Marine with degrees from Ohio State and Yale Law School, achieved notoriety with his 2016 memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ about his upbringing in Appalachian America. He has taken the mantle of a key leader in the “new right” of the Republican Party, advocating for international non-interventionism and a focus on working class and family issues domestically.
Vance was a popular pick amongst Trump’s family and ideological allies, with Donald Trump Jr. advocating heavily for his selection. He was considered by many analysts to be more ideologically aligned with Trump and the “MAGA” movement than other contenders like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Four months until election day, Trump is leading his challenger President Joe Biden in polls, both nationally and across key swing states. Biden and Trump met on the debate stage for the first time in this election cycle on June 27. When Biden stumbled through his answers looking lost and confused, Democrats began calling for the president to drop out of the race.
The 81-year-old has assured his base that he was not dropping out, even as the calls persist.
It is unclear if Vice President Kamala Harris and Vance will meet on the debate stage, as both presidential campaigns have committed to separate meetings. The Biden campaign accepted an invitation in May from CBS News for Harris to debate Trump’s running mate. But the Trump campaign previously accepted an invitation, ahead of the former president’s pick, for Vance to debate Harris on Fox News.
