Less than 48 hours after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt and taking a bullet to the right ear, Donald Trump has made his long-awaited vice presidential pick . After a brief whirlwind of rumors and speculation, the former president made his choice public on Truth Social.
“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,” he said.
Trump went on to list Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) personal accomplishments, citing his service as a U.S. Marine, degrees from both Ohio State University and Yale Law School, bestselling novel Hillbilly Elegy, and success in business. Vance is 39 years old, will be 40 on Election Day, and if elected, would be the second youngest vice president in history and the youngest since John C. Breckinridge was elected as James Buchanan’s vice president at the age of 36.
Politically, the Vance selection does little to help Trump in the general election. Vance arrived in the Senate in 2022 and had a tough campaign against Democrat Tim Ryan, besting Ryan by 6 points, underperforming Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), who won reelection by nearly 26 points. Where former Vice President Mike Pence was viewed as a calm, experienced figure to counterbalance Trump’s rhetoric and unpredictability, Vance is a bomb-thrower who will excite the Republican base more than he will make inroads with undecided voters. However, considering Trump’s lead in nearly every swing state and the collapse of President Joe Biden’s approval rating and mental state generally, the Trump team may have made the decision thinking about a future administration more than the campaign.
On a personal level, Vance has been loyal to the former president since his decision to run for U.S. Senate in Ohio, a dramatic shift from years prior when he vehemently opposed Trump. Vance stated in 2016 and beyond that Trump was “cultural heroin,” was a “terrible candidate,” and “might be America’s Hitler” while describing himself as “a Never Trump guy.” In the past, this type of language likely would have disqualified Vance from any position in a Trump White House, but between the 45th president’s willingness to move beyond differences in the past and the discipline shown by the campaign in recent months, Trump’s well-documented style of choosing personnel may be changing for the better.
On policy, Vance is a mixed bag. He has embraced populist economics, which may worry fiscally conservative and libertarian-leaning Republicans, but considering that a second Trump White House would be dealing with at best very narrow majorities in Congress and that the former president has pledged not to touch entitlements, it’s unlikely that Vance’s impact will be felt on economic policy for good or ill. On foreign policy, Vance aligns himself with the noninterventionist wing of the GOP. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) congratulated Vance on X: “Congrats to my friend and colleague (J.D. Vance!) It’s great to have an opponent of endless wars and more aid to Ukraine on the ticket.”
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The Vance pick has received near-unanimous praise from elected Republicans. The young senator is whip-smart, is great on the mic, and never runs from the press. If Trump’s newfound discipline and moves toward the center are any indication, the campaign may use Vance as an attack dog, allowing the former president to avoid the Left’s obvious traps.
Last but not least, knowing what we now know about Vice President Kamala Harris 's oratory skills and grasp on the issues, a thorough vice presidential debate beatdown at the hands of Trump’s bearded running mate seems imminent. And it should make for darn good television.
Brady Leonard ( @bradyleonard ) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.
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