(Elias Irizarry, Headline USA) Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump announced Monday that he had selected Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, as his vice presidential running mate ahead of the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“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,” stated Trump in a post on his Truth Social page.
Vance has become a celebrity among Trump supporters as a symbol of blue-collar workers in the Midwest.
Supporters hope that his nomination will grow Trump’s strength in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which pushed Trump to victory in 2016 under his message of protecting American manufacturing.
The 39-year-old freshman senator came to prominence after authoring his memoir titled Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, describing his upbringing in an Appalachian low-income family in Middletown, Ohio.
The eponymous Ron Howard film, released in 2020 on Netflix, garnered two Academy Award nominations, including a best supporting actress nod for Glenn Close, who portrayed Vance’s grandmother.
Vance previously served in the United States Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University, and received his law degree from Yale Law School.
Some conservatives hailed the decision a bold choice for Trump an a win for the America First movement in comparison with other finalists such as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and even former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s greatest intra-party adversary in the GOP primary, who was criticized for being overly supportive of special interests, including defense contractors.
Vance marks a notable departure from the longtime neocon establishment as a vocal opponent of the war in Ukraine, which could potentially alienate some GOP donors but is more likely to appeal to his the populist political base.
From a consultant's standpoint, there is zero upside to picking JD. The fact that Trump did this shows he does take seriously some degree of ideology from his base. All those people who told me that there is no hope of influencing him are wrong. You assert yourself, and often he…
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) July 15, 2024
However, some have indicated wariness over Vance’s past criticisms of Trump, such as when he declared himself a “Never Trumper” and refused to vote for him in 2016—even likening Trump to Adolf Hitler.
JD Vance is an anti-Trump grifter and a fraud.#NeverVance pic.twitter.com/EDOzvxgNoQ
— Ray (@raymo_g) July 15, 2024
Infamous neoconservative former Bush-era White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove stated that Vance was the “worst possible pick for Trump’s VP,” in an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News. He additionally endorsed Burgum for the vice presidency.
After the announcement, Rove reportedly was seen in a full meltdown on FOX News, alongside Rupert Murdoch and John Bolton, according to conservative pundit Jack Posobiec.
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