Trump took to his Truth Social network to announce J.D. Vance, Republican senator from Ohio as his running mate.
“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 wrote.
James Davis Vance, the bestselling author of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, is a Yale Law School graduate who served in the US military and worked in venture capital before his career in politics.
Vance is also known for being a once fierce Trump critic, referring to the former President on record as an “idiot,” “cynical asshole,” and “America’s Hitler.”
During the 2016 presidential election campaign, Vance described Trump’s popularity in these terms: “I think this election is really having a negative effect especially on the white working class… what it’s doing is giving people an excuse to point the finger at someone else, point the finger at Mexican immigrants, or Chinese trade or the Democratic elites or whatever else.”
He has since transformed into one of Trump’s closest allies, having been elected to the Senate in 2021 after being endorsed by Trump.
Vance has also become a conservative media celebrity over the years, decrying diversity and inclusion programs and embracing cultural war issues.