Trump unveiled Vance, 39, as his running mate as the GOP kicks off its convention just two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt with only minor injuries.
Trump announced the pick on his social media site.
“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 wrote.
Trump said Vance will help spearhead the GOP campaign in the Midwest battleground states. “He 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,” Trump said.
The pick of Vance gives Trump an articulate and youthful No. 2 on his ticket as he launches his campaign to retake the White House against the likely Democratic ticket of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump had previously narrowed down the veepstakes to a three-person short list: Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, ex-North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
The newly minted vice presidential standard-bearer, who instantly becomes the successor to Trump’s MAGA mantle, is expected to deliver a speech to the RNC on Wednesday.
Vance, 39, burst on the national political scene on the unlikely back of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” about his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio — a town that has battled factory closings and the opioid epidemic.
The critically praised book underlined the economic and cultural decline of the Rust Belt, where white working class voters have overwhelmingly backed Trump and form the backbone of his MAGA movement.
Vance, who went on from the Marines to Ohio State and Yale Law School, was once fiercely critical of Trump, calling him a charlatan and worse during his successful 2016 presidential run.
But Vance shifted to one of Trump’s biggest boosters. He rode unquestioned support for Trump to victory in the 2020 Senate race, establishing himself as one of the fastest-rising stars in the Republican Party.
He strongly supported Trump’s effort to overturn his loss to President Biden in the 2020 vote and says then-Vice President Mike Pence should not have certified Biden’s election.
Vance backed a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy but has softened his position in line with Trump’s stance that the issue should be left to the states.
Vance is married to his law school classmate Usha Chilukuri, with whom he shares three children.
Republican strategist Scott Jennings called Vance a very intelligent and studious leader.
GOP analyst Matt Mackowiak predicted Vance will be greeted with “ecstatic” support from Trump’s base.
“He’s from a younger generation, he’s fully committed to Trump’s agenda and will continue it as a loyal partner and potential successor,” Mackowiak said.
Each of the other frontrunners would have brought to unique political assets to the Trump ticket.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, would have been the first Latino candidate on a major party ticket. He ran a nasty 2016 campaign against Trump, but the pair have since buried the hatchet.
Burgum is a folksy self-made tech billionaire from small-town North Dakota who went on to become a two-term governor of the red state. He was a virtual unknown on the national stage but grabbed attention with a failed 2024 presidential bid.
Late last week, Trump mentioned that Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, could also be still in the mix. Scott would have been the the first African American candidate on a Republican presidential ticket.
The veepstakes short list had been known for several weeks. Trump delayed making a pick to build suspense for the decision and to enhance interest in the RNC in Milwaukee.
Trump has said he plans to stress national unity at the convention after he survived an unsuccessful assassination attempt and claims he has ripped up a “humdinger” speech attacking President Biden and Democrats.
Vance controversially blamed Democrats for the shooting, which killed a Trump rally-goer, in a tweet sent just two hours after the attack.
“(Biden) rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination,” Vance tweeted.
Trump is expected to address the convention and accept the party’s nomination Thursday.
The former president, who is the first candidate in a century to run for the White House after losing a re-election bid, has uncharacteristically sought to keep a relatively low profile in recent weeks since President Biden’s shaky debate performance.
The debate sparked disarray among Democrats and significant calls for Biden to step aside.
If Biden were to leave the race, most Democrats believe Harris would be picked as presidential nominee with a host of potential vice presidential picks.
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