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From Author to Senator, a Background on Trump’s VP Pick– J.D. Vance

July 16, 2024

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The mystery of who Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump will select as his Vice Presidential running mate has ended in the selection of long-time frontrunner J.D. Vance. This 39 year old firebrand has paved his way to top rung of a political career despite a relatively short legislative tenure.

Vance Famed Author, Venture Capitalist, Senator

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Vance first reached national renown as the top-selling author for his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2016. He then was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Announcement at the Republican National Convention

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Trump made the announcement Monday during the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

He wrote on Truth Social, “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.”

Other Contenders Notified

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Other top Republican picks for Vice President, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, were notified of Vance’s selection prior to the announcement.

Vance’s Background

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Vance is 39 years old and was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022. Vance’s memoir exposed his unique perspective on the White working class. He was raised in poverty in Appalachia and Ohio before he attained an Ivy League education.

Vance’s Evolving Stance on Trump

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Vance has not always been an ally of Trump, having called him a “total fraud” in 2016. Other unflattering clips have surfaced revealing Vance’s changed opinion of Trump since Trump first ran for office. Vance at one point was critical of the MAGA movement, compared Trump to Hitler, suggested that Trump was guilty of sexual assault and was a moral disaster.

Vance As Surrogate to Trump During Early Stages of Campaign

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Far from the criticism of the past, In the current primary election cycle, Vance and the other top contenders for the Vice Presidential Nomination have been acting as surrogates for Trump, stumping for him in interviews and around the country, particularly as Trump has been tied up in legal proceedings.

Support During Legal Proceedings

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Vance appeared outside the New York courtroom during the proceedings for Trump’s criminal hush money case, showing his and his party’s continued support for Trump amidst the current legal fray.

Burgum and Rubio also Defending Trump from Alleged Political Persecution

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Burgum and Rubio both also blasted the “show trials” as a political stunt aimed to hurt Trump’s chances of electoral victory and punish Trump for his political views.

Teasing the Announcement

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The Trump campaign has been teasing the announcement for weeks. It was potentially delayed by the media’s focus on President Joe Biden and the fallout from his feeble performance in the first Presidential debate in June. Such negative press was favorable to the Trump campaign and persisted until the July assassination attempt redirected the news cycle.

Assassination Attempt on Trump

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During the assassination attempt on President Trump over the weekend in Pennsylvania, Trump’s second in command was not yet made public, leading to speculation about what would have happened and who would have ascended to the top of the GOP campaign had the assassination been successful.

Conservative Commentary

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In the wake of the shooting, some conservative commentators have suggested that the VP pick should not be from among the more palatable candidates to the Democrats, such as Burgum, Senator Tim Scott, or Rubio, but should be someone who is as much a firebrand and formidable opponent to political foes as Trump himself. Vance’s name was near or at the top of most lists.

Criticism of Vance’s Response

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Vance received some criticism for his response to the assassination attempt, where he blamed the Democrats for the shooting due to their heightened rhetoric for the past eight years since Trump first ran for President in 2016.

Vance’s Claim on X, Blames Democrats for Shooting

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Vance said on X, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Disqualification Suggestion by Kinzinger

Another Republican, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger from Illinois, suggested that Vance should be disqualified from the role of Vice President due to his statement blaming the Democrats for the assassination attempt. Kinzinger wrote, “This should disqualify @JDVance1 from VP.”