Trump Taps Rising Republican Star JD Vance as Running Mate

Donald Trump tapped JD Vance as his running mate, elevating to the Republican presidential ticket a venture capitalist-turned-senator whose embrace of populist politics garnered national attention and made him a rising star in the party.

“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, making the announcement Monday on his Truth Social platform as the Republican National Convention began in Milwaukee.

The announcement comes days after a failed assassination attempt upended what had already been a chaotic presidential contest. Trump was wounded in his right ear after shots rang out at a campaign rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. One attendee was fatally shot, and two others are in critical condition. The shooter was killed by the US Secret Service.

The gunfire at the rally, shadowed by a global uptick in political violence, was a grave reminder of the importance of the vice president, who would assume the Oval Office if the president were killed or unable to fulfill the duties of the job.

Vance is 39, nearly four decades younger than Trump, 78, marking a potential generational shift for the party and offering a fresh voice to Republican efforts to bolster their appeal to the working-class workers who were once a bedrock of the Democratic party in battlegrounds such as Michigan, Wisconsin and President Joe Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania. 

Biden’s handling of the economy is one of the defining issues of the campaign as the president struggles to bring back to the fold many traditional blue-collar Democratic voters who defected to Trump in 2016 and 2020 and who remain skeptical of the incumbent’s economic agenda.

The violence at a Pennsylvania rally is a defining moment for the race, one that is likely to turbo-charge Trump’s presidential bid and rally his supporters as the convention gets underway.

The former president has largely stayed out of the spotlight following a June 27 debate between him and Biden — keeping the media glare on the Democrat. The first debate between the two this cycle saw Biden deliver a performance that alarmed Democrats and spurred a revolt among some lawmakers and donors in the party worried the incumbent president will not be able to defeat Trump.

Earlier: Vance Emerges as Ascendant Populist Pick for Trump Running Mate

Vance first drew attention in 2016 with the publication of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which painted a stark picture of growing up poor in Ohio and spurred a national discussion on the challenges facing the White working class. He was a co-founder of Narya Capital Management LLC, a venture capital fund. 

Once a sharp critic of Trump — Vance previously called him “noxious” and accused him of “leading the White working class to a very dark place” — he eventually embraced his movement.

Vance gained the former president’s endorsement to emerge from a crowded GOP pack and win an Ohio Senate seat in a competitive 2022 race. He’s been closely aligned with Trump on many issues that are paramount to the presumptive Republican nominee, including taking a tougher stance against China on trade and ramping up border security, and he is a vocal critic of aid for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Trump has carried Vance’s state of Ohio easily in both of his last two presidential runs. 

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., advocated for Vance’s selection. The decision shows the younger Trump’s influence over his father and how he could play a role in a future Trump administration. Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner held formal roles during Trump’s White House tenure, but have since shied away from involvement in his campaign.

Like other Republicans, Vance has been a staunch supporter of the former president amid his legal woes. He was the first contender from the vice presidential shortlist to appear at the Manhattan courthouse where Trump was tried and convicted of falsifying business documents to cover up a hush-money payment. And he’s tapped his business connections to raise money for Trump, including arranging a major San Francisco fundraiser in June led by Silicon Valley investors David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya. 

Vance’s selection saw Trump bypass many of the senator’s own colleagues, including Tim Scott of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida.

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