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| Trump’s pick for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, arrives on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15 in Milwaukee. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) |
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Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick is J.D. Vance, a relative newcomer to politics and fierce critic-turned-champion of the former president.
“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote in his social media announcement on Monday.
James David Vance, who is 39, is a Marine Corps veteran, author and former venture capitalist from Middletown, Ohio. He has represented the state in the U.S. Senate since January 2023.
The Yale Law School graduate and investment banker first rose to national prominence in 2016 with the publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, a bestselling account of his upbringing — and the plight of the white working class — in Appalachia, plagued by poverty, abuse and addiction.
The book, which also faced its share of social and historical critiques, was adapted into a movie in 2020.
Vance went on to found “Our Ohio Renewal,” a since-shuttered nonprofit with focus areas including education and opioid addiction.
“The success of the book has given me the flexibility, but also I think the platform to talk about some of the issues that are most important to me,” Vance told NPR in December 2016.
The organization dissolved in less than two years. Next, Vance co-founded a venture capital firm headquartered in Cincinnati and aimed at funding startups in underserved cities.
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| Usha Chilukuri Vance look on as her husband is nominated for the office of vice president. (Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images) |
The father of three is married to his Yale Law classmate Usha Chilukuri Vance, who has previously clerked for Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Judge Amul Thapar.
He doesn’t add much diversity to the Republican ticket by way of gender or race. But as a 39-year-old millennial, he is considerably younger than Trump — and most of the vice presidents who have held the position he’s now seeking.
Vance, who turns 40 on August 2, would be one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history if elected.
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