In the world of former President Donald Trump, nothing is set in stone until it’s set in stone, but there are signs that freshman Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) may end up being Trump’s running mate — a historic moment for military veterans and younger voters alike.
Vance, 39, served in the Iraq War and would be the first major party presidential candidate to have combat experience in the Marine Corps. Democratic President Joe Biden has been adamant about using the “sucker and loser” hoax against Trump (as he did in the debates and has continued to do so many times since), and choosing someone who actually served in the Marine Corps and saw combat could easily blunt that malicious lie. Moreover, Vance would be the first millennial to be nominated for the presidency, which Trump’s allies see as doubling down and solidifying the huge support Trump enjoys among young voters, especially as Democrats are divided over who to choose a nominee following Biden’s dismal debate performance.
“He would be the first U.S. Marine in American history and the first millennial to be on the presidential ticket,” a Trump supporter told Breitbart News on Friday. “His election would be truly historic.”
There are several signs that Trump is leaning toward Vance. First, market expectations have shifted heavily in Vance’s favor over the past few days.
.@PolyMarket – Republican VP odds (change from July 7)
• J.D. Vance: 41% (+18)
• Doug Burgum: 24% (-11)
• Marco Rubio: 9% (-1)
• Glenn Youngkin: 8% (-2)
• Ben Carson: 6% (-7)
• Tim Scott: 6% (+1)Who do you think will be President Trump’s vice president?https://t.co/A5Md8k8sVd… https://t.co/wl9tlVkLv8 pic.twitter.com/mi22nCvrzE
— Interactive Polls (@IAPolls2022) July 11, 2024
Secondly, the Republican National Convention program will have Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., speaking on Wednesday night, just before the man Trump will choose as his running mate, who will formally accept the nomination and address the nation at the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in prime time next Wednesday. Trump Jr., a close ally of Vance, has made no secret of his support for the young Ohio senator, his father’s running mate. So the convention program’s decision to have Trump Jr. introduce the running mate is one of many signs that Vance may be that candidate.
Scoop: Axios has learned that Donald Jr. is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday, just before the vice presidential nominee is chosen.
It’s the latest sign that Trump is zeroing in on J.D. Vance, whom Don Jr. has endorsed as his running mate. https://t.co/GFnxdw8CVH
— Sophia Kai (@SophiaCai99) July 11, 2024
Plus, Trent Conaway, mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, is also scheduled to speak at the convention in prime time on Wednesday. Vance famously helped Trump make an early Republican presidential primary visit to East Palestine in the aftermath of a train derailment, where Trump defeated Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. That moment has emerged as a defining example of Biden’s failure as president and how slow the administration has been to respond to a crisis that hit the “forgotten men and women” of America’s Rust Belt. So Conaway’s tentative speaking time at Wednesday’s convention will be a triple boon for the Trump campaign, and likely Vance’s running mate, on that successful message and moment.
NEWS: East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway is tentatively scheduled to speak on the third day of the Republican National Convention, the same night that the vice president and Donald J.
Trump advisers see his February 2023 visit to eastern Palestine as a turning point in the campaign. https://t.co/Q81wZYozhy
— Alex Eisenstadt (@politicoalex) July 11, 2024
“This race will be decided in the Rust Belt, and Vance is arguably the best messenger for the blue-collar voters Trump needs to win these states,” a Trump supporter told Breitbart News. “His unique and heroic life story — from poverty and a broken home to a mother struggling with drug addiction, to becoming a Marine, Yale Law School graduate, best-selling author, successful businessman and U.S. Senator — makes him the biggest electoral threat of any vice presidential candidate to Democrats who are scared to face someone who can appeal to working-class and impoverished voters in the same way that he does.”
Another Trump supporter familiar with the vice presidential nominations told Breitbart News that it has been especially clear in recent weeks that Trump’s opponents have been attacking Vance and pushing other candidates.
“[Vance is] “He’s the most ideologically aligned of the candidates and the only one of the three who can truly carry the America First movement into the future and not let Karl Rove and the Bush establishment of the party destroy it,” a second Trump supporter told Breitbart News. “That’s why Karl Rove, Rupert Murdoch, Matt Drudge and other anti-Trump forces are so desperately trying to smear him and push for Burgum or Rubio.”
The second source also highlighted Vance’s fundraising efforts for Trump and his Silicon Valley ties. “He’s also a very successful young businessman at 39 years old,” the second Trump supporter said. “The relationships he’s built in Silicon Valley and the cryptocurrency industry during his business career are a big reason why he’s become a giant in fundraising for Trump over the past year.”
A third person familiar with the selection process said Vance’s regular television appearances defending Trump and his policies — where he often overwhelms even the most aggressive interviewers — played a big role in getting him to this stage in the selection process. His performance in the Ohio debates in both the 2022 Republican primary and general elections was also a strong selling point, the source said.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Saturday evening in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the heart of the working-class Rust Belt and just across the border from Vance’s Ohio state. The former president hasn’t yet made a final decision or announced anything, but a decision is imminent as the convention begins on Monday and delegates in Milwaukee begin the formal nomination process for president and vice president, so a decision is expected by then.
