Trump taps Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his vice president

MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump has selected Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate, elevating a staunch ally and young GOP star who, less than a decade ago, rose to prominence as a Trump critic.

But over the last few years, Vance, 39, has emerged as a Trump loyalist, becoming one of his most vocal defenders in the Senate and a frequent surrogate on television as he called for the party to embrace Trump’s populist agenda.

Trump announced his choice Monday afternoon on social media as the delegates to the GOP convention gathered in Milwaukee.

“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 on his Truth Social website.

By selecting Vance, Trump eschewed calls from some in the party to choose a running mate who would add racial diversity to the ticket or use softer rhetoric to appeal to Trump-skeptical moderates, instead tapping a firebrand who shares Trump’s pugilistic tendencies and is admired by the MAGA base.

But Vance could expand Trump’s appeal in other ways, however. He hails from the Rust Belt, which includes portions of the critical swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He’s also a Marine veteran, and would be the second youngest vice president — tied with Richard Nixon — if Trump wins in November.

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,” Trump wrote.

A jubilant Vance walked onto the convention floor Monday afternoon with his wife, Usha, shaking hands and speaking with delegates. The crowd broke out into chants of “J.D.! J.D.! J.D.!” as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, John Husted, and GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno each spoke about Vance.

“To J.D. Vance, ‘America First’ is not just a slogan, it's his North Star,” Moreno said. “He has followed it in every moment of his life and career. He knows what it's like to live in poverty, forgotten by Washington politicians.”

But Vance’s past harsh criticisms of Trump, which he has vehemently walked back, will almost certainly be used against him by Democrats.

In his selection, Trump is elevating Vance as an heir to the MAGA movement. He is also putting an enormous amount of trust in the freshman senator, just days after an apparent assassination attempt on the former president served as a grim reminder of the significance of the vice president in any administration.

The author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a 2016 memoir-turned-movie about growing up poor in Appalachia, Vance during the 2016 presidential race served as an anti-Trump conservative pundit. He compared GOP voters’ newfound interest in Trump to a heroin addiction , privately speculated about whether Trump was “ America’s Hitler ,” referred to himself as a “ Never Trump guy ” and to Trump as “an idiot,” and declared after the 2016 election that he had not voted for Trump.

His own words were featured in GOP primary attack ads when Vance ran for Senate in 2022, though he ultimately broke through a crowded field of Republicans and secured Trump’s endorsement. He went on to win the seat held by former Sen. Rob Portman, a moderate Republican who retired.

The announcement was immediately met by a groundswell of support from elected Republicans — including the two other final contenders in Trump’s veepstakes race, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — as well as celebration on the floor of the convention hall.

Vance “brings to the table his 'Hillbilly Elegy,’” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), told POLITICO. “He has this story that the American people appreciate, that sometimes it's hard to get by and it's hard to put food on the table. And to have someone that's vice president who's lived that, who's been successful and is now not only the vice president, but now all eyes are going to be him as potentially the next standard bearer of the Republican Party. That's huge and it is literally the American dream."

Even Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, at times a Trump critic who said he disagrees with Vance on some issues — such as the senator’s opposition to Ukraine aid — offered relatively positive comments about the decision.

“What he's done is he has really articulated, basically, the Donald Trump platform and has done it in a very articulate way,” DeWine said from the Milwaukee convention hall. “He's presented it in the best way that it can be presented, in my opinion."

Vance in recent months has attempted to moderate his position on abortion, one of Republicans’ top vulnerabilities this election. After referring to abortion as “murder” last year, and during his 2022 race saying he would vote for a national 15-week abortion limit, Vance more recently has praised Trump’s leave-it-to-the-states abortion platform, and said he shared Trump’s support of access to the mifepristone abortion pill.

Vance positioned himself this spring to be a top contender for Trump’s running mate, appearing as a surrogate for Trump on television and attending his Manhattan criminal trial as part of the former president’s entourage of supporters.

And he has shared in recent years a close relationship with Trump’s son, Don Jr., who was among those close to Trump praising Vance before his selection.

Moments after Trump announced his choice, Don Jr. from the floor of the convention hall told CNN that Vance was “an incredible person to help unify the country,” and would help in the states Republicans are “going to need from the Electoral College standpoint.”

Vance, who worked as a venture capitalist in San Francisco after law school, has relationships with wealthy donors. He has helped organize fundraisers for Trump this year featuring Silicon Valley types, including David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, hosts of the popular “All In” podcast.

But Vance starts his candidacy as relatively unknown among the electorate. A national CNN/SSRS poll late last month found that 56 percent had never heard of him. And an additional 15 percent had heard of him but had no opinion about him.

Should the GOP prevail in November’s presidential race, Vance would be immediately tasked with negotiating with Republicans in Congress on behalf of Trump — a tough responsibility once shouldered by former Vice President Mike Pence. But Vance will bring a different style than Pence to the ticket: The first-term Ohio Republican has emerged as a foil to GOP and Democratic leaders alike, criticizing the Senate’s bipartisan foreign aid package and holding up Justice Department nominees.

But Vance has also signed onto bipartisan deals, most notably a rail safety bill he worked on with his home state colleague Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is up for reelection this fall. At the same time, Vance backed Brown’s Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, early in the election cycle. Trump endorsed Moreno in that race’s primary, a sign of the close political coordination between Trump and Vance.

If Trump and Vance win in November, Vance’s vacant Senate seat will be filled by Gov. Mike DeWine, a moderate Ohio Republican who has yet to endorse Trump this election. Eventually, a special election would be held to replace Vance in Ohio, which tilts to the right.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign on Monday quickly seized on the announcement, sending out a fundraising appeal.

“He talks a big game about working people,” Biden wrote on X, with a link to donate to his campaign. “But now, he and Trump want to raise taxes on middle-class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich.”

Vice President Kamala Harris called Vance Monday afternoon to congratulate him on being selected, and the two are expected to debate later in the summer.

Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.