Donald Trump announces J.D. Vance as his running mate at RNC just days after assassination attempt

DONALD Trump has named Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

The announcement from the former commander-in-chief, 78, comes less than 48 hours after a would-be assassin fired nearly a dozen shots at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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As GOP delegates gathered at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to formally select Trump as the party’s presidential nominee, the former president unmasked his running mate in a post on Truth Social.

“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 said.

Trump went on to praise Vance’s resume, commending his service in the Marine Corps, his time at Ohio State University, his tenure at Yale Law School, his career in technology, and his time as a senator.

“J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond,” he added.

President Joe Biden released a campaign ad minutes after Trump’s vice president announcement, calling on supporters to help “protect democracy.”

“Here’s the deal about J.D. Vance. He talks a big game about working people,” Biden wrote on X.

“But now, he and Trump want to raise taxes on middle-class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich.

“Well, I don’t intend to let them. And if you’re with me, pitch in.”

MEET TRUMP’S VP

If Trump is elected president, Vance, who will turn 40 in August, will be one of the youngest vice presidents in US history.

At 39 years old, Vance has had a meteoric rise in the Republican Party since successfully running for Senate in 2022 in Ohio.

He first came to national prominence with his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, where he disclosed his troubled upbringing in rural Jackson, Kentucky.

Vance grew up primarily with his grandparents as his mother struggled with drug addiction.

In his memoir, he argued that a lack of personal agencies was responsible for economic suffering, drug abuse, and other struggles in white working-class communities like the one he was raised in.

Vance was once a fierce critic of Trump, calling himself a “Never Trump guy” in an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016.

He publicly said he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 election, saying, “I’m a Never Trump guy. I never liked him.”

That same year, he told NPR, “I can’t stomach Trump. I think that he’s noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.”

Vance also wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled Mr. Trump Is Unfit For Our Nation’s Highest Office.

In 2016, after Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape leaked online, Vance wrote on X, “Fellow Christians, everyone is watching us. When we apologize for this man, lord help us.”

The Ohio senator has also called Trump a series of harsh names and previously stated that voters were “idiots” for voting for him.

He referred to Trump as “America’s Hiter” in a Facebook message to an associate in 2016.

A spokesperson for Vance later said that the comment did not represent his views.

Vance changed his tune in the past few years, becoming a Trump loyalist.

He retracted his previous critiques of Trump and continued to praise the former president during his presidential campaign.

During an interview on CNN, he told Dana Bash, “But, look, my view on Donald Trump — I have been very clear on this — is, look, I was wrong about him.

“I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, Dana, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected.”

Vance also publicly stated that Trump’s felony conviction for hush money payments during the 2016 election was a “sham trial.”

He added that the trial was intended to “interfere in a presidential election” and fiercely defended the former president.

Vance reiterated a similar sentiment in a recent interview on Fox News with Bret Baier, stating, “Look – I was wrong about Donald Trump. I didn’t think he would be a good president Brett, he was a great president.”

“When you’re wrong about something – you should be able to change your mind,” he added.

REACTIONS TO THE PICK

Corinne “Corky” Haynes, an RNC attendee and Trump supporter from Phoenix, Arizona, told The U.S. Sun,  “I’ve always liked JD Vance. Ever since Hillbilly Elegy.

“I think he knows the MAGA program. He’s relatable. He grew up from nothing like all of us did.

“He made something of himself, not like so many on both sides of the aisle that are elitist, that forget who they represent and who the people are. That’s why we’ve been Trump since the get-go.”

Cliff Vicars, a Republican from Tennessee, told The U.S. Sun Vance, “I believe he brings enthusiasm.”

Vicars described the vice president-elect as “very level-headed, so he’d be a good match with Trump.”

“He made something of himself, not like so many on both sides of the aisle that are elitist, that forget who they represent, and who the people are.”

Corinne Haynes on JD VanceRepublican voter

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, who announced his state’s delegates’ support for Trump, said he’s “thrilled about the Vance pick.”

“There’s a lot about Ohio that’s similar to Iowa, so the Iowan in me is excited about this, and the conservative Republican in me is excited about this, so kudos to Donald Trump and JD Vance, we’re behind you 100% in the Hawkeye State,” Kaufmann told The U.S. Sun.

Prominent Republicans and Democrats shared their opinions of the selection on X, with Elon Musk posting, “TRUMP VANCE, Resounds with victory.”

Donald Trump Jr. also praised the pick as “incredible” and added that Vance was an “incredible guy” and that “no one is more articulate.”

Nancy McArthur, Ohio’s Republican Party Chair, told The U.S. Sun that she was “excited” by the announcement, adding it was “Good for Ohio and good for our country.

“We’re really excited that he’s going to step up and do this for our country and for Donald Trump.”

“It’s Trump’s pick, he needs to have somebody that’s got his back, and that believes in him. He and JD have been close for quite some time, and Vance is close with his son.

“Being loyal to [Trump], and Trump knowing he has someone who can easily step up and take his place – and it almost happened, right, the other day – god forbid it should happen again.

“I trust Trump’s pick, and I know JD is going to do great things not just for Ohio but for the country.”

When discussing security concerns and the assassination attempt on Trump, McArthur responded, “Obviously, there were problems with the security in Pennsylvania, which is not that far from where I live.

“I don’t know what happened there, but something went down, and that should not ever happen again.”

McArthur added, “This is really about our country, and if you are a civil, decent person, you wouldn’t want to see [Saturday’s events] happen to anybody,

“I don’t care what party you’re in. It’s not who we are as Americans.”

The Republican Party Chair further explained, “This man [Trump] has been under a lot of personal attacks, both from the media, by his political opponents.

“He has risen above all of it. He is a survivor and a fighter, and that’s who we are as Americans.”

“I remember when 9/11 happened and we all came together, I hope we can do that again because it’s important for our country.”

Arkan Somo, a Republican delegate from California, described the pick as, “Great news, amazing news. We are so lucky this year.

“We have such a great selection of candidates that our next president of the United States could choose from, and JD Vance is amazing.”

Vance is in attendance at the RNC and is expected to address the attendees.