(NewsReady.com) – Former President Donald Trump announced Senator JD Vance (R-OH) as his running mate on Monday, July 15. The first-term senator is well-known for his controversial memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Days after the announcement, Vance accepted the GOP nomination for vice president.
On July 17, Vance spoke at the Republican National Conference (RNC) and formally accepted the nomination. After initially being a Trump critic, he has become close to the former president. During his first major speech, he told Republicans about himself, emphasizing his Midwestern upbringing. The senator stressed the Republican Party was a “big tent” where its members were open to different conservative opinions “on everything from national security to economic policy.”
Vance called on his party to unite, saying they all love America and “are united to win.” He said the party is “stronger” because of their disagreements. The 39-year-old stressed that he’s young and President Joe Biden is old. He did it by telling a story about when he was in fourth grade when Biden signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which hurt farmers.
The senator also brought up the assassination attempt on Trump. He claimed that people have “accused [Trump] of being a tyrant” and “said he must be stopped at all costs.” Instead of responding viciously, Vance claimed the former president “called for national unity, for national calm” right after he almost lost his life.
Vance told the crowd that the moment in time wasn’t about him, it was about the people in middle America who are struggling because of the bad decisions made by Biden’s administration.
The vice presidential candidate was born in Middletown, Ohio. His mother struggled with drug abuse while he was a child, and her children were primarily raised by their maternal grandparents. After high school, Vance enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He was deployed to Iraq for six months as a combat correspondent with the Public Affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
After the military, Vance went to Ohio State University and graduated with a political science degree. He attended Yale Law School, where he was the editor of the Yale Law Journal. During his time in law school, he wrote “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was later turned into a movie.
Vance has served in the Senate since 2023.
Copyright 2024, NewsReady.com