Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio said Monday he’s trying to “enjoy the ride” after former President Trump announced on Truth Social that he’d choose the “Hillbilly Elegy” author as his 2024 running mate.
Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity. Trump called and Trump, who has accepted the position of vice presidential nominee, said he believes the freshman senator can help him win the election in November.
“[Trump] “He just said, ‘Look, I think I need to save this country, and I think you’re the person who can help me best. You can help me govern, you can help me win, you can help me in some of the Midwest states, Pennsylvania and Michigan,'” Vance recalled on “Hannity.”
J.D. Vance, the Ohio Senator and 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee, appears on screen during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
He added that he had become close with Trump. The former president endorsed him. Vance believes the move helped secure his victory over former Rep. Tim Ryan in the 2022 Ohio Senate election.
“Without Donald Trump’s support, I would not have won that election. The president’s trust then and the working relationship we’ve had since are something I value very highly,” he said.
Vance, He was once a vocal critic of Trump. Trump, who previously described the current vice presidential nominee as “toxic” and a “sarcastic jerk,” said he made no secret of his changing views of the former president over the past few years.
Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), President Trump’s nominee for vice president, and his wife, Usha Chirukuri Vance, arrive on the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024. (Joe Raedl/Getty Images)
“I was skeptical of Donald Trump back in 2016, but he’s been a great president and he’s changed my mind,” the freshman senator said. “I think he’s changed the minds of a lot of Americans because he’s brought peace and prosperity.”
In a 2016 interview, Vance told former CBS anchor Charlie Rose that he was “absolutely a Trump supporter” and “I’ve never hated Trump.” He told Rose.
Trump campaign explains main reason Vance was last on the list: ‘Same breed’
Hannity grilled the Marine Corps veteran, a fierce critic of Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election, about his fervent support for the president in recent years.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) (left) speaks to Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“I believed the media’s lies and distortions, the idea that he was somehow different, that he would be a terrible threat to democracy. It was a joke,” Vance responded.
He added that President Biden is the one who is trying to “undermine” the rule of law in the United States, and that ultimately he thinks President Trump has done a great job during his time in office.
“If you realize you were wrong about someone, I think it’s a good thing to own up to it and admit you were wrong,” he said.
Trump picks vice presidential candidate, opening the race for Senator Vance’s seat
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump applauds along with Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson during day one of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA on July 15, 2024. (Reuters/Gina Moon)
former Silicon Valley venture capitalist Trump told Hannity that being chosen as vice president is an “incredible honor” and that he is ready to work hard to convince the American people what a second term for Trump would look like.
“I’m very calm. Thanks to my faith, I was able to spend a few hours today with my wife and kids. We have three kids, ages 7, 4 and 2. Things are crazy and things have changed a lot, but I’m still A husband and a father“I’m going to be a very happy man over the next four months,” Vance said.
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The 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee is scheduled to speak on the third day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
