MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 16: Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump greets Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party's presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Donald Trump has chosen JD Vance as his vice presidential pick, and we’ve compiled everything you need to know about the author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’
The Associated Press reports the Ohio Senator is the first millennial to join a major ticket party. He is currently facing backlash for hypocrisy, as he previously called Trump an “idiot.” Additionally, his Indian wife, Chilukuri, is experiencing racist attacks from GOP members.
As previously reported by The Shade Room, the former president announced J.D. Vance as his VP pick on July 15. He made a post on Truth Social that read, “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’s running mate is a 39-year-old Republican serving his first term in the Senate. Vance was raised in Middletown, Ohio. He would eventually join the Marines and serve in Iraq. He later earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. JD gained notoriety after writing his memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ in 2016. The book was published when Trump was first running for president. Within the pages, he explained Trump’s appeal to middle America, especially among the working-class, rural white voters who helped him win the presidency. The 78-year-old year old reportedly loved the book, which led Vance to be introduced to the Trump family. The two hit it off and remained friends after the meeting. The book was later turned into a Netflix film.
After Trump won the election in 2016, JD returned to Ohio and established an anti-opioid charity. Vance took on the lecture circuit and was a beloved guest at Republican Lincoln Day dinners. These appearances gave him the opportunity to share his ideas on fixing the country. Additionally, it laid the groundwork for entering politics in 2021.
Although Vance is now a Trump champion, it hasn’t always been this way. BBC reports that interviews and tweets on X, formerly known as Twitter, from 2016 tell a different story. JD reportedly stated that he “..never liked Trump” and thought of him as an “idiot.”
Furthermore, he stated that he found him “reprehensible.” Moreover, he told Josh McLaurin, a Georgia Senator, and his former law school roommate, that he went “back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole…or that he’s American’s Hitler.” The Democrat told the publication that “it’s just kind of unbelievable” that he is now “Trump’s biggest cheerleader.”
Since extremists discovered Vance’s wife, Chilukuri Vance, is Indian, they have made racist attacks against the trial lawyer. The 38-year-old was raised in San Diego by Indian immigrants, AP reports. She met her husband after receiving an undergraduate degree at Yale University. JD and Chilukuri married in 2014.
X users openly spewed their disdain for the Republican Senator’s wife.
@BleachDemonz wrote, “Wait is he married to a Brown????????”
Republican activist Jaden McNeil tweeted, “I’m sure this guy is going to be great on immigration.”
Additionally, political commentator Nick Fuentas stated, “Do we really expect that the guy who has an Indian wife and named their kid Vivek is going to support white identity.”
We will have to wait and see if Trump’s VP pick will hurt or help him at the polls.
Contributions from AP reporters Olivia Diaz and Julie Carr Smyth.
