Senator JD Vance, chosen by Donald Trump to second him in his campaign, called on Wednesday, July 17, for the United States to “choose a new path”, which places workers at its center, during his major speech at the Republican convention in Milwaukee. “We will be united in victory”, declared to his party the man who will become vice president if the former Republican president wins in November.
During this new prime-time evening, the 39-year-old elected official, in a blue suit and tie, formally accepted the Republican nomination. He praised the “extraordinary vision” of Donald Trump, seated in a red stand at the large Milwaukee sports complex where thousands of “Make America Great Again” activists filled the stands in a festive atmosphere.
Coming from a modest background and the author of a best-selling book describing the rural and deindustrialized America of the forgotten, he drew applause from his mother, a former drug addict “sober for 10 years.” He also paid tribute to his late grandmother, who raised him, by indicating that she owned 19 firearms. “Being of service to Wall Street“It’s over, ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to stand up for workers,” said the senator from Ohio, a former stronghold of American industry. “Importing foreign labor is over. We’re going to fight for American citizens, their jobs and their wages,” he promised.
“American dream”
Just before going on stage, JD Vance shared a hug with his wife, Usha, a brilliant lawyer who announced him on stage as a “powerful illustration of the American dream.” The atypical elected official was thrust into the spotlight when Donald Trump announced Monday that he was choosing him as his running mate in the race for the White House. For a presidential candidate, this choice often meets the objective of seducing new voters.
JD Vance, an anti-establishment elected official with a unique background, having had a career in the military as well as in Silicon Valley, should reassure the party’s most right-wing voters, while Donald Trump is trying to make inroads among moderates. In the US Senate, this tall, dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes has distinguished himself by his fierce opposition to aid to Ukraine. Without naming kyiv directly, he pledged on Wednesday to ensure “that our allies share the burden of maintaining peace in the world”. Before launching into a long anti-immigration tirade, accusing Democrats of having “flooded this country with millions of illegal immigrants”.
Furthermore, if Donald Trump, 78, were elected, JD Vance would become the third youngest vice president in US history. On a lighter note, US media outlets note that the executive branch has not seen a president or vice president with a beard in about a hundred years. A constant that would end with JD Vance, who sports a carefully trimmed salt-and-pepper beard.
His selection by the Republican candidate is also and above all explained by his loyalty. Even though he has been very critical of Donald Trump in the past, JD Vance has made a complete turnaround to establish himself as one of the most ardent defenders of the billionaire and his MAGA ideology, “Make America Great Again.”
Trump’s upcoming speech
Among the delegates listening to Vance, dozens wore a fake white bandage over their ears, a symbol of the one worn by Donald Trump, the victim of an assassination attempt on Saturday. The crowd, gathered at Milwaukee’s sprawling multi-purpose arena, once again chanted “Fight!” “Fight!” — the same words Trump shouted, fist raised and face bloodied, as he stood up after being shot in Pennsylvania.
But the highlight of the elaborately choreographed Grand Old Party gathering will come Thursday night, when Donald Trump formally accepts his party’s nomination. It will be a spectacular celebration, punctuated by the traditional release of thousands of red, white and blue balloons. It will be the first time the Republican has spoken on stage since his assassination attempt.
As soon as the convention is over, Donald Trump will fly to Michigan on Saturday, where he will hold a campaign rally, exactly one week after the attack. JD Vance will take his place on the podium next to him.