Former U.S. President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump announced Monday through Truth Social that JD Vance, the 39-year-old senator from Ohio, will run as vice president with him. The announcement was made at the beginning of a four-day national republic convention in Milwaukee, where it will be succeeded by the party’s presidential ticket nomination.
Who is JD Vance?
James David Vance belongs to Middletown, Ohio. He has served in the Marine Corps and also earned a bachelor’s from Ohio State University and a post-graduation degree from Yale University. Vance first rose to national prominence with his 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and emerged as one of the highest-profile defenders of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda on trade, foreign policy, and immigration.
Why did Trump choose Vance?
He will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, he said in the announcement post, referring to the American workers and farmers in the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond. Many of these Midwestern states will likely hold a huge sway over the November election.
The pick is likely to galvanize supporters of Trump. Vance has been a staple on the conservative media circuit and has repeatedly battled reporters in the Capitol, building his reputation as the kind of leader who can take the mantle from Trump into the future, starting with the next 2028 presidential election.
Trump and Vance’s relationship
Trump and Vance have a mutualistic relationship. Though Vance, in 2022, succeeded by carrying the Trump umbilical cord to the Senate seat, at one time he was one of the most avid critics of Trump.
Vance’s popularity rose in tandem with Trump’s unlikely rise from reality TV celebrity to Republican presidential nominee and ultimately president. During the early career of Trump in politics, Vance called him — the nationalist leader a “total fraud,” a “moral disaster,” and “America’s Hitler.”
However, like many Republicans seeking relevance in the Trump era, Vance progressively changed his tone. He claimed he was proven wrong about Trump’s performance in office and became one of his most ardent supporters.
Just overwhelmed with gratitude.
What an honor it is to run alongside President Donald J. Trump. He delivered peace and prosperity once, and with your help, he’ll do it again.
Onward to victory!
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) July 16, 2024
JD Vance’s Indian-origin spouse- Usha Chilkuri Vance
With Vance at center stage during the presidential elections now, his wife, Usha Chilkuri Vance’s profile, is expected to rise equally as she is set to provide youth and diversity to the Trump ticket.
Usha Vance is a very distinguished attorney, and her parents emigrated to the United States from India. She spent her childhood in San Diego and studied at Yale University, where she met her future husband, JD Vance. The two married in a Hindu pandit ceremony in 2014 and have three children. After she graduated from law school, Usha worked under the supreme court justice John Roberts. Usha practiced at the California law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson from 2015 to 2017.
US President Joe Biden commented on JD Vance and called him a “Clone of Trump” after the release of his official ticket to Vice president. The real question here is, will JD Vance live up to Trump’s expectations and coordinate throughout his campaigns? Might be safe to say that the comment proves a slight terror for the democratic party leader as Vance’s “cloning” might add major strength for the republican party.
About the author
Ms Yogya Reddy is an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA, studying International Relations and Affairs. She is passionate about global democracy and politics. She also enjoys working on research and writing.
