After months of speculation and numerous names floating around, former President Trump has announced Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump’s decision was based on TruthSocial Announcement On Monday, on the first day of the Republican National Convention, Vance beat out many other candidates who were being considered to be Trump’s running mate, including other potential finalists Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R).
Vance has come a long way from being one of Trump’s harshest Republican critics during the 2016 campaign to running alongside him for the White House in 2024. But a lot has changed since then, making Vance an attractive choice as Trump’s top lieutenant.
Vance, a first-term senator, has distanced himself significantly from comments he made about Trump eight years ago, when he called him a “toxic” and “reprehensible” figure and considered himself a “Never-Trumper.”
He also called on Republicans not to defend Trump following the release of an “Access Hollywood” tape in which then-candidate Trump was heard bragging that he could grab women by their private parts because he was a “star.”
“Fellow Christians, you are all watching us. May the Lord help us as we apologize for this man,” Vance wrote on social media.
But Vance began defending Trump during his administration and has since become one of his most ardent supporters. He deleted old posts critical of Trump and said he regretted posting them.
Vance supported Trump in his 2020 reelection bid, and Trump endorsed Vance when he ran for the Republican nomination for Ohio’s Senate seat in 2022.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash in May, Vance reiterated that his previous criticisms of Trump were “wrong.”
“Dana, I never thought he’d be a good president, and I’m so proud that he’s been proven wrong. That’s one of the reasons I’m working so hard to get him elected,” he said.
He also supported Trump’s false claims that voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election prevented him from winning reelection and slammed the criminal charges filed against the former president as false.
Vance also has the advantage of name recognition: He gained attention in 2016 with his book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis,” which became a New York Times bestseller and was eventually adapted into a film that was released in 2020.
His home state of Ohio will also play a key role in November, as Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (Democrat) faces off in a tough Senate race against Republican Bernie Moreno in what will likely be a close contest that will help determine which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.
“The fact that Vance is a Republican and has been a Democrat for many years means that he is a Democrat and a Democrat. He …
Vance would also balance the list of candidates age-wise, as Trump is the oldest Republican nominee in history: He will be just 40 on Inauguration Day and would be the third-youngest vice president in history if elected.
Vance is the youngest of the major candidates Trump has considered, bringing youth to the Republican shortlist as lawmakers from both parties express their hopes for the country’s next generation of leaders.
