JD Vance is relatively unknown on the political scene, but he has been outspoken on Ukraine and vehemently opposed providing additional aid to the war-torn country.
Former US President Donald Trump on Monday selected Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate as he seeks a return to the White House.
Although he is relatively unknown on the political scene – he has only been a senator since last year – the 39-year-old Republican has already made headlines for his conservative views that tend towards the extreme.
As James David Vance has gone from being one of Mr. Trump’s fiercest critics to running for the same, his rhetoric against aid to Ukraine and its push to ban abortion nationwide indicate that, unlike former Vice President Mike Pence, Mr Vance belongs to a more populist strain of American Republican politics.
Here’s everything you need to know about the man who could be the next vice president of the United States – and, four years from now, maybe even a candidate for the White House himself?
From “never Trump” to staunch ally
Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in Iraq before earning degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also worked as a venture capitalist in California’s Silicon Valley.
Mr. Vance rose to prominence with his memoir, the 2016 bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” published as Mr. Trump was first running for president.
“Hillbilly Elegy” also gave Vance an opportunity to meet the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. loved the book — the two men hit it off and have remained friends ever since.
Vance was a “never Trump” Republican in 2016. He called Trump a “dangerous” and D’“unfit” to carry out his duties.
He also criticized Trump’s apparently racist rhetoric, saying it could be “America’s Hitler.”
But when Vance met with Trump in 2021, he had changed his mind. Both men downplayed the harsh criticism Vance had made in the past.
Once elected to the Senate, Vance became a fierce Trump ally on Capitol Hill, tirelessly defending the president’s policies and behavior.
Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, called JD Vance a main spokesperson for the conservative movement on key issuesincluding the abandonment of interventionist foreign policy, market economics and “broader American culture.”
Democrats call him aextremistciting provocative positions Vance took but sometimes later modified.
For example, during his Senate campaign, he advocated for a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks, before softening that position when Ohio voters overwhelmingly supported an abortion rights amendment for 2023.
People familiar with the vice presidential nomination process said Vance would bring debate skills and the ability to articulate Mr. Trump’s vision to the Republican ticket.
ADVERTISEMENTCharlie Kirk, founder of the conservative activist group Turning Point USA, said: JD Vance convincingly articulated the vision of America First and that it could help Mr. Trump in states he narrowly lost in 2020, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, which share Ohio’s values, demographics and economy.
What does Vance’s selection mean for Europe?
Much of Europe is already panicking at the thought of a second Trump presidency and its implications for US foreign policy.
The former president’s decision to choose Vance as his running mate raises even more concern.
Vance is well known for being one of the most isolationist members of the Republican Partymeaning he wants to put the United States first at the expense of other nations.
ADVERTISEMENTUkraine is part of.
In early 2024, he played a central role in efforts to defeat a Ukraine aid bill.
After the failure, he reiterated his position, saying: “We have succeeded in making Europe and the rest of the world understand that America cannot sign blank checks indefinitely.”
In the past, he has also denounced what he saw as Europe’s excessive dependence on the United States for military investment.
ADVERTISEMENTIn February, Vance explained to Politico why the United States should provide limited aid to Ukraine.
“We simply do not have the manufacturing capacity to sustain a ground war in Eastern Europe indefinitely. And I think it is incumbent upon leaders to explain that to their populations,” he said: “How long is this expected to last? How much is it going to cost? And most importantly, how are we supposed to produce the weapons needed to sustain the Ukrainians?”
The remarks came at the annual Munich Security Conference, where Vance also opted out of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, saying, “I didn’t expect to learn anything new.”
In April, before the Senate, he attacked NATO and Europe for spending “too little” on defense.
ADVERTISEMENT“For three years, Europeans have been telling us that Vladimir Putin is an existential threat to Europe. And for three years, they have not responded as if that were true,” he said, adding that Germany had not spent 2% of its GDP on defense, the amount that NATO members have set as a common target.
His selection comes as the EU seeks to repair a damaged trading relationship between Brussels and Washington.
During his presidency, Donald Trump imposed tariffs on European imports of steel and aluminum.
JD Vance is likely to support the measure and Mr Trump’s promise to protect American industry if he is re-elected in November.
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