MILWAUKEE — Sen. J.D. Vance addressed the nation for the first time as Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee Wednesday night, recounting his mother’s struggles with drug addiction and his own working-class upbringing and pledging to fight for everyday working Americans in a moving, deeply personal speech.
The 39-year-old Ohio senator was officially named Trump’s running mate on Monday to thunderous applause, but saved his remarks until late into the third night to build up enthusiasm from the audience.
When Vance formally accepted the vice presidential nomination, he delivered an emotional speech in which he spoke about his upbringing in rural Ohio and his vision for the future of America.
His speech was reminiscent of the story depicted in the best-selling book that shot him to fame in 2016, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which detailed his working-class upbringing and the decline of the Rust Belt.
He contrasted his own age with President Biden’s long political experience, explaining how the 81-year-old politician has impacted small towns like his with policies that “ship jobs overseas” and send children “to war.”
“Joe Biden failed and my community paid the price,” Vance said, noting that Biden “has been a politician” for longer than he’s been alive.
An introductory video played ahead of the speech highlighted Vance’s story of “perseverance” and said he has an “American story” of dedication and success, explaining how he rose from “poverty” to join the US Marines, attend Yale Law School and ultimately become a senator.
He began his speech by talking about the resilience of Trump, who returned to the campaign trail less than 48 hours after being shot at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“My fellow Americans, I’m J.D. Vance from Ohio. Tonight is a night of hope. A night of celebration of what America once was and, by God’s grace, what it will soon be again. And a night of reminder of our sacred obligation to defend the American experiment and choose a new path for our children and grandchildren.”
“But as we gather tonight, we must remember that tonight could have been different — instead of a day of celebration, it could have been a day of heartache and mourning,” Vance said, noting that the bullet missed Trump’s head by “a quarter-inch.”
“Vance said President Trump’s response to the shooting, as he stood and raised his fist, was one of calling on Americans to “higher things” and to true “unity.”
The senator also said he wanted to respond to calls for unity by accepting the vice presidential nomination.
Moving on to a more personal story, Vance expressed gratitude to his grandmother, “Mamaw,” who raised him from an early age and rescued him from the poverty that came with addiction.
“I was lucky. Where I grew up, factories were closing and drug addiction was rampant, but I had a guardian angel in my life. She was an old woman who could barely walk, but she was so tough. I called her ‘Mamaw,’ which is what country people call a grandmother. Mamaw raised me as her own while my mother struggled with drug addiction. I’ve been successful because of Mamaw,” Vance said.
He also called out his mother, Beverly Akins, who was sitting in the Trump VIP box next to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
He praised his mother’s strength in overcoming addiction.
He said this “moment” wasn’t just about him, but also about “autoworkers in Michigan who are wondering why politicians who are out of touch with reality are destroying their jobs. This is also about factory workers in Wisconsin who make things with their hands and take pride in American craftsmanship,” he continued.
“This is about energy workers in Pennsylvania and Ohio who can’t understand why Joe Biden will buy energy from a petty dictator but not from hardworking Americans at home.”
And, more personally, “This is the story of a single mother like me who struggled with money and addiction but never gave up.”
“And I’m so proud to have my mom here with me tonight. Ten years sober and clean. I love you, Mom.”
He added that he would like to celebrate the milestone at the White House.
“Hey mom, I was thinking it would officially be 10 years in January 2025. If President Trump is OK with it, we’ll celebrate at the White House.”
In his book Hillbilly Elegy, Vance describes a tumultuous relationship with his mother, who struggled with drug addiction. Vance was raised by his grandparents, James and Bonnie Vance, and later changed his surname to follow his grandfather’s example.
Ms. Aikins has been a supporter of Mr. Vance’s career — her Facebook profile picture shows him as a baby — and she has posted support for his Senate campaign and his vice presidential run, writing, “So proud of my Marines.”
Vance spoke about his own experiences and how his home town has been devastated by Biden’s policies, and said America needs Trump to restore the American dream.
“Donald Trump represents America’s last best hope for restoring what, if lost, may never be found again,” he said.
“I pledge to every American, regardless of your party, that I will serve you with all my might and make this country a place where every dream you have for yourself, your families and your country can come true again. And I make one more promise: to the people of Middletown, Ohio, and to the people of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and every forgotten community in every corner of this country: I will never forget where I come from. And as I walk into the White House to help President Trump every day for the next four years, I will do so for you, your families and your future,” he declared powerfully in his debut speech.
Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, took the stage just before her husband. Usha and JD Vance met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, a year after they graduated. The couple have three children, and the senator credits his wife for knowing how to “take control” in stressful situations.
Usha spoke of her love for her husband, recalling how they met at Yale University and how she has watched him grow into “a husband and father, building the close-knit family that I dreamed of as a child.”
The senator had previewed his speech at a fundraiser on Wednesday, saying he wanted to “pump up the crowd” and “make the case” for the Trump-Vance administration.
Vance also praised Trump for defusing “tension” after the shooting on Saturday night, when a gunman shot him in the ear and nearly missed his skull in Pennsylvania. Vance said he was “gutted” and “horrified that we’ve lost a great president.”
Vance’s supporters, including Trump, have highlighted his Midwestern background as a strength of the Trump-Vance coalition.
Trump’s new running mate also argued that the former president, not Biden, is the best candidate to connect with “working class people.”
“They know that Trump has their interests at heart,” Vance said of his relationship with the working class, arguing that working-class voters know they should vote Republican.
“Those very same families will absolutely say it’s time to return to the leadership of Donald Trump,” he said in a preview speech.
“It’s time to oust the corrupt Biden-Harris Administration that has destroyed our country, ruined our reputation in the world, and most importantly, put the basics of a middle-class life out of reach for our people.”
He ended his stirring speech at the Republican National Convention with a powerful pledge: “I promise you, I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.”
