Ex-President Donald Trump has selected Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as his vice presidential running mate although he was once a critic but will now be the leading heir to his political legacy.
Vance, who will soon turn 40 in August, offers a youthful difference to Trump, 78, and President Joe Biden, 81.
Vance would be the third-youngest vice president ever, after John Breckenridge, (36 years old upon taking office in 1857) and Richard Nixon (40 years and 11 days in 1953). In addition to that, Vance’s selection comes days following Trump surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday, emphasizing the importance of the vice presidential selection.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump posted on Monday.
Vance is a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq war. Thus, he has military experience and right-wing populist views that link well with Trump’s “America First” slogan and the “Make America Great Again” movement. For instance, he was against the U.S. sending funds to Ukraine and pushed to postpone confirmation of Biden’s judicial nominees in a protest over Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York state matter in May.
Trump picked Vance after a search that began with at least 12 potential running mates. In the last weeks, the list of prospects lessened with Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida among some of the other candidates.
