Donald Trump has chosen JD Vance to be his running mate if he wins the November presidential election. However, the running mate has already been highly critical of the billionaire.
Donald Trump announced on Monday, July 15, that Ohio Senator JD Vance would be his vice president if he were elected to the presidency in November. He considered him to be “the most capable person to serve as Vice President of the United States.” JD Vance was very grateful on X: “What an honor to run alongside President Donald Trump. He brought peace and prosperity once, and with your help, he will do it again. Here’s to victory!” On the other hand, Joe Biden did not fail to denounce this nomination on X, accusing the senator of “denying the result of the 2020 election” and supporting “a nationwide ban on abortion.”
JD Vance is already a well-known figure. First enlisted in the army, he studied law at a prestigious university in Silicon Valley. His autobiography Hillbilly Elegy released in 2016, in which he narrates his chaotic childhood in the Appalachian region, made his reputation.
This book also caught the attention of Donald Trump’s eldest son, with whom he became friends. He then gradually moved closer to the Trumpist movement and its ideas, particularly on migration and economic issues. In 2022, the billionaire decided to support JD Vance’s campaign for the Senate, where he finally managed to be elected. Aged only 39, the man who puts forward his Christian faith has therefore experienced a meteoric political rise.
From anti-Trump to running mate
According to Wall Street Journalthis choice of running mate is carefully considered. It could notably help Donald Trump win in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, by seeking the votes of voters from “the white working class”. JD Vance’s age also apparently played a role in this decision. If Donald Trump is elected, he would become the third youngest vice president in the history of the United States. The former president also ensures that he is accompanied by a faithful second who embodies the new populist and nationalist right. After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on July 13, the latter also pointed the finger at “the Biden campaign” which, according to him, portrays the Republican candidate as “an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs”.
His nomination by Donald Trump was not unanimous. His opponents did not fail to point out that JD Vance had at one time been very critical of Donald Trump. He had already called him “an idiot” and “harmful”. He had even worried that he was “America’s Hitler”. The senator was also an important member of the “Never Trump” movement during the 2016 election and had assured that he had resolved to vote for Hillary Clinton. For his part, the former American president has not always been tender with his new running mate either, even when he supported him. During a rally, he had called him “an incredible patriot” but had also claimed that he had “kissed his ass” to get his support.