By Akinsuroju Olubunmi
Trump selects JD Vance as running mate
Republican candidate Donald Trump has chosen Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 US elections. The announcement was made on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday evening.
“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 JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote.
“J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. J.D.’s book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ became a Major Best Seller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country.
“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….,” the statement concluded.
Vance, once a critic of Trump, authored the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016, which details his experiences growing up in poverty in Appalachia and was later turned into a film.
Politico reports that Vance has previously made critical comments about Trump and his supporters, comparing their enthusiasm to a heroin addiction and questioning if Trump was “America’s Hitler.” He also referred to himself as a “Never Trump guy” and called Trump “an idiot,” revealing he did not vote for Trump in the 2016 election.
However, Vance has since transformed into a loyal supporter of Trump, receiving the former president’s endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race. Despite this, a CNN/SSRS poll indicates that 56% of voters are unfamiliar with him, and 15% have no opinion about him.
Trump Selects JD Vance as Running Mate