Former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump has selected 39-year-old Ohio native JD Vance as his 2024 running mate.
Trump announced the decision in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday afternoon, saying he chose Vance “after lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others.” Trump also revealed that Vance “will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American workers and farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond.”
Vance, who was once an anti-Trump critic, calling him an “idiot,” has become a supporter of the former president in recent years. He gained recognition after the release of his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, in 2016 and became a U.S. Senator in 2022.
Vance graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and philosophy. While there, he worked for Republican state senator Bob Schuler. After that, he attended Yale Law School.
Soon after Trump’s announcement on Monday, Biden called for donations to his campaign, posting on X: “Here’s the deal about JD Vance. He talks a big game about working people. But now, he and Trump want to raise taxes on middle-class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich.”
According to Biden, there isn’t any difference between Mr. Vance and the former president.
“He’s a clone of Trump on the issues,” he added.
JD Vance and Trump share a similar political ideology on trade, immigration, and foreign policy, including the continued US support for Ukraine. However, in areas where they differ, Vance has aligned with Trump’s ideologies. Notably, Vance, who supported abortion rights before, is now against women having access to abortions, including victims of rape or incest.
