JD Vance will be Donald Trump's running mate in 2024
MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - Senator JD Vance has been formally designated as Donald Trump's vice presidential pick.
The former president and now-official Republican candidate chose Ohio's junior senator to be his running mate as Trump attempts to snag a second term as president of the United States.
"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," Trump said on his Truth Social account.
Vance was viewed as one of the most likely candidates, along with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
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Who is JD Vance?
James David Vance, 39, is a former venture capitalist and has held his Senate seat for the state of Ohio for less than two years. Before that, he served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, and went on to graduate from Ohio State University and then Yale Law School.
The former president had endorsed Vance, helping the "Hillbilly Elegy" author and Yale-educated lawyer defeat a crowded Republican field and ultimately win Ohio’s open Senate seat in 2022.
File: Former President Donald Trump listens as J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, speaks during a rally hosted by the former president at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on April 23, 2022 in Delaware, Ohio. (Photo by Drew Ang
Trump boosted Vance’s career, and Vance has returned the favor by unceasingly defending Trump’s policies and behavior. His debating skills, ability to articulate Trump’s vision and fund-raising prowess are all potential assets for Vance, those familiar with the vetting process say.
Before becoming one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s "Make America Great Again" agenda, Vance was a never-Trumper in 2016. He called Trump "dangerous" and "unfit" for office. Vance, whose wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, is Indian-American and the mother of their three children, also criticized Trump’s racist rhetoric, saying he could be "America’s Hitler."
Despite his early criticism of Trump, Vance's views shifted. He is now ideologically aligned with the former president and has become a fixture of the conservative media circuit.
Vance has also become close with Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., who talked up the senator in the weeks prior to the convention.
"Look, I was wrong about Donald Trump," Vance told FOX News’ Bret Baier last month. "I didn’t think he was gonna be a good president, Bret. He was a great president. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to make sure he gets a second term."
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Should Trump and Vance win the White House in November, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine – also a Republican – will choose someone to fill Vance's seat in the Senate.
"He’s very articulate. He’s got a great life story," DeWine said of Vance. "And he can articulate President Trump’s positions very effectively and articulately. He’s the appropriate age, and represents the next generation. He’s the next generation of the party."
File: Senator JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, speaks to members of the media outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York, US, on Monday, May 13, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vance's stance on abortion
Vance signaled support for a national 15-week abortion ban during his Senate run, then softened that stance once Ohio voters overwhelmingly backed a 2023 abortion rights amendment.
Vance's stance on the 2020 election
In the 2020 election, he said he wouldn't have certified the results immediately if he had been vice president and that Trump had "a very legitimate grievance." He has put conditions on honoring the results of the 2024 election that echo Trump's.
A litany of government and outside investigations have not found any election fraud that could have swung the outcome of Trump's 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump assassination attempt
After Saturday's shooting, Trump's choice carries considerably more gravity. If a bullet had struck just a little bit to the right, Trump likely would have been killed or seriously injured.
Among other things, the close call serves as a reminder that the vice president is a heartbeat away from the presidency. Trump has repeatedly claimed that choosing someone who was qualified to take over as commander in chief was his top consideration for the role.
"You need somebody that can be good just in case, that horrible just in case," he said in an interview with "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" in May.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.