Donald Trump, the former US President, has chosen Ohio’s Republican senator, JD Vance, as his vice-presidential running mate. The information was first announced via Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, coinciding with the commencement of the four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to decide the badge bearers for the presidency.
By appointing the author of the bestseller ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, James David Vance, Trump could potentially rally his supporters’ turnout for the November 5th election. This is due to Vance’s popularity, particularly amongst the Republican candidate’s followers. Vance, a 39-year-old staunch conservative from Ohio, is not expected to draw a slew of new followers to Trump’s camp; conversely, he may offend some centrists.
There were recommendations from Trump’s supporters for the inclusion of a woman or individual of colour in his campaign, as the association mainly attracts white men. The previous leader (78), narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, with the real reason behind the shooter’s attack remaining a mystery.
Prominent individuals supporting Trump, like his eldest son Donald Trump Jr and previous senior consultant Steve Bannon, have commended Mr Vance for advocating the Republican Party to adopt a more isolationist approach to foreign policy and endorse trade restrictions.
With his combative social media conduct, Vance has pleased Trump’s followers. This is somewhat uncommon in the Senate, where various lawmakers strive to uphold decorum and civility. His younger age provides a counterbalance in an election featuring Trump and Joe Biden (81), against a Democratic ticket that also includes Vice President Kamala Harris (59).
In his decision to choose Vance as his running mate, Trump looked past other potential competitors, including Marco Rubio and Tim Scott, US senators, and Doug Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota.
His fast-track rise has not been typical in American politics. After a troubled and deprived upbringing in Southern Ohio, Vance joined the Marine Corps and eventually secured a scholarship to Yale Law School. He later found employment as a venture capitalist in San Francisco. His acclaimed book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ (2016), delves into the socio-economic challenges his hometown faces and the poverty cycle afflicting Americans in the Appalachian Mountains, where his mother and her family hail from.
Mr Vance’s book offered a critique of what he perceived as a harmful societal norm in rural America, attempting to shed light on Mr Trump’s appeal to financially disadvantaged white US citizens. Before and after the 2016 elections which saw Mr Trump victorious over his Democratic competitor Hillary Clinton, Mr Vance didn’t shy away from expressing his severe critique of Mr Trump, even likening him to Hitler and calling him an idiot.
Yet, when considering a 2022 Senate run in Ohio, Mr Vance evolved into a staunch advocate for the former president, remaining dedicated to Mr Trump even when his Senate peers chose not to. Mr Vance downplayed the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, expressing scepticism over the threat posed to Mike Pence’s life, despite the angry mob getting incredibly close to the former Vice President.
Mr Vance also re-iterated Mr Trump’s judgements regarding the Justice Department’s prosecution of January 6th insurrectionists, accusing them of neglecting due process rights. In February, he refrained from chastising Mr Trump for encouraging Russia’s President Putin to attack Nato allies who did not increase their defence budget.
Historically, Republicans favoured free markets and saw international involvement as a crucial security strategy. However, Mr Trump’s 2016 victory exposed significant divisions within the party. Mr Vance has been among the loudest voices opposing continued support to Ukraine in the Senate, a position that diverges from many Republican legislative leaders.
While campaigning, the ex-venture capitalist also helped create connections between Trump’s allies and affluent donors from Silicon Valley, who have been generous with their contributions during this election.
Nonetheless, many of Trump’s allies were unhappy with his selection, particularly those who wished for a more diverse Vice Presidential candidate. Despite being on par in most of the nationwide polls, Mr Trump lags far behind the president with women and African American voters.
Some within Trump’s circles privately questioned the advisability of removing Mr Vance from the Senate when Democrats and Republicans are competing for the upper house’s control. Democrats currently have a one-seat edge, but they are expected to lose seats in the November elections.
Although Ohio generally leans Republican in presidential elections, Democrats have been elected in other categories from time to time. Mr Vance’s 2016 election victory was by a margin of six percentage points.
-original source: Reuters
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