Republican candidate Donald Trump has announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 US elections.
The former president revealed the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday evening.
“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.
Trump highlighted Vance’s distinguished background: “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.”
Trump praised Vance’s business career in technology and finance and emphasized his dedication to American workers and farmers, particularly in key states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota.
Vance, once a vocal critic of Trump, authored the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016, which describes his upbringing in poverty in Appalachia and was later adapted into a film. Despite previously making disparaging comments about Trump and his supporters, Vance has since aligned himself with Trump, earning his endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race.
According to Politico, Vance had previously likened Trump supporters’ enthusiasm to a heroin addiction and questioned if Trump was “America’s Hitler.” Vance also called himself a “Never Trump guy” and labeled Trump “an idiot,” admitting he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 election. However, in recent years, Vance has shifted to become a staunch Trump loyalist.
Vance faces a visibility challenge as he enters the national stage, with a CNN/SSRS poll indicating that 56% of voters are unfamiliar with him, and an additional 15% have no opinion about him.
