Trump picks Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his GOP running mate, drawing cheers from Long Island delegates
MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump named freshman Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential running mate on Monday, choosing a one-time critic turned fierce defender for the top of the Republican ticket.
Ending weeks of speculation, Trump announced Vance, 39, as his pick on the first day of the Republican National Convention. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the former president lauded Vance’s life story that was documented in the best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Vance’s memoir, later made into a movie, details his life growing up in poverty in Kentucky and Ohio to a family beset with addiction issues. Vance would go on to serve in the U.S. Marines, attend Ohio State University and Yale Law School.
“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 wrote.
The crowd at the Fiserv Forum, the arena hosting the convention, broke into chants of “JD! JD!” once his nomination was noted on the floor by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, and Vance, joined by his wife Usha, later stood with the Ohio delegation as he accepted the party’s nomination.
Trump later appeared alongside Vance at the convention Monday evening, where supporters erupted into cheers upon seeing the former president with a bandage over his injured ear.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were on Trump’s short list, but were reportedly notified before the start of the convention that they had not been selected.
Vance rose to prominence in 2016 as the release of his memoir coincided with Trump’s political rise. He was often tapped to appear on news programs to explain Trump’s appeal to rural working-class voters. During those appearances he was often critical about the real estate mogul, describing him as “noxious” and telling NPR in an August 2016 interview that he would vote “third party because I can't stomach Trump."
In 2018, Vance stated he voted for a third-party candidate in 2016, and had “reservations” about Trump, but he also said there were elements of Trump’s platform that appealed to him, including Trump’s criticism of U.S. intervention overseas.
By 2022, as Vance ran for the U.S. Senate, he distanced himself from his earlier criticism of Trump, seeking out and ultimately winning Trump’s coveted endorsement in the Republican primary. Vance would later defeat Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
Vance in a May interview with CNN said he was “wrong” about Trump in 2016.
“I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected,” Vance said.
New York’s Republican delegation at the convention celebrated Vance’s selection, saying the 39-year-old, who will turn 40 next month, brings youth and vigor to the ticket as Trump continues to run a statistically tight race with Democratic President Joe Biden, 81, and Vice President Kamala Harris, 59.
State GOP chairman Ed Cox, speaking from the convention floor, told Newsday he believed Vance, a father of three young children, is a known commodity to voters, citing his book and frequent appearances on the Sunday morning political talk show circuit.
“He’s brilliant,” Cox said. “His background as described in 'Hillbilly Elegy,' his brilliant defense of Donald Trump on the Sunday news shows; it’s a terrific choice.”
Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo, sitting on the convention floor with other Nassau delegates, called Vance a “Renaissance man” who illustrated how someone critical of Trump could ultimately become “very supportive."
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), seated next to Cairo, said he was excited by Vance’s nomination because “he brings youth and some different approaches to government.”
Trump selected a new running mate after his public split with former Vice President Mike Pence, who resisted Trump’s calls for Pence to block the certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vance has expressed support for those arrested at the Capitol, and has said he would have handled the 2020 certification differently than Pence by allowing states to seat multiple "slates of electors." The U.S. Constitution, which outlines the presidential certification process, does not have any provisions calling for competing sets of electors.
"If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there," Vance told ABC News in February.
The Biden-Harris campaign took aim at Vance's selection calling him "the poster child for MAGA extremism."
“Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.
Before Vance’s selection, New York Republican leaders preparing for the first day of the convention on Monday sought to project a united front, saying the recent assassination attempt against Trump would ultimately galvanize support behind the party’s nominee.
Cox, speaking to Newsday before the day’s events, said Trump’s immediate response in the wake of the shooting — waving his fist in the air to the crowd and shouting “fight” — served as a rallying call for Republicans.
“He made sure the Secret Service cleared out around him, so he could give the crowd a message —‘fight’ — we’re going to fight for things we believe in. That’s energizing for us,” Cox said. “He could have cowered, he could have kept undercover, but he didn’t, he wanted to get his message out even at the risk of his own life.”
Cox said that despite the shooting, the state’s delegation of 91 elected officials and party leaders felt secure heading to Milwaukee, where tight security measures were already being put into place before a lone gunman shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. Trump’s ear was bloodied from the incident and a 50-year-old supporter was killed. Two other spectators were critically injured. The FBI has said it is probing the shooting as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism.
"This is my ninth Republican convention, starting in ‘68, and I’ve never seen security as tight as this," Cox said of the barricades and security perimeter surrounding the convention hall.
Cairo told Newsday he anticipated Trump will use his Thursday night address to call for unity amid a divided electorate.
"I’ve been around for a long time, but there’s this feeling out there, it’s just not good," Cairo said. "We’ve got to get along and get together. We’ll see what happens this year, but there’s a tone that is being set now that will be toned down."
Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia told Newsday that he hoped Saturday’s failed assassination attempt would make both parties realize there needs to be a positive discourse.
"Almost directly after this incident one of the first words Trump said was ‘America unite’ . . . I think that’s the direction we need to move in," Garcia said.
MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump named freshman Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential running mate on Monday, choosing a one-time critic turned fierce defender for the top of the Republican ticket.
Ending weeks of speculation, Trump announced Vance, 39, as his pick on the first day of the Republican National Convention. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the former president lauded Vance’s life story that was documented in the best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Vance’s memoir, later made into a movie, details his life growing up in poverty in Kentucky and Ohio to a family beset with addiction issues. Vance would go on to serve in the U.S. Marines, attend Ohio State University and Yale Law School.
“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 wrote.
The crowd at the Fiserv Forum, the arena hosting the convention, broke into chants of “JD! JD!” once his nomination was noted on the floor by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, and Vance, joined by his wife Usha, later stood with the Ohio delegation as he accepted the party’s nomination.
Trump later appeared alongside Vance at the convention Monday evening, where supporters erupted into cheers upon seeing the former president with a bandage over his injured ear.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were on Trump’s short list, but were reportedly notified before the start of the convention that they had not been selected.
Vance rose to prominence in 2016 as the release of his memoir coincided with Trump’s political rise. He was often tapped to appear on news programs to explain Trump’s appeal to rural working-class voters. During those appearances he was often critical about the real estate mogul, describing him as “noxious” and telling NPR in an August 2016 interview that he would vote “third party because I can't stomach Trump."
In 2018, Vance stated he voted for a third-party candidate in 2016, and had “reservations” about Trump, but he also said there were elements of Trump’s platform that appealed to him, including Trump’s criticism of U.S. intervention overseas.
JD Vance, the Republican Party nominee for vice president, walks down East Michagan Avenue in Milwaukee, Wis., Tuesday with his son on his shoulders. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
By 2022, as Vance ran for the U.S. Senate, he distanced himself from his earlier criticism of Trump, seeking out and ultimately winning Trump’s coveted endorsement in the Republican primary. Vance would later defeat Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
Vance in a May interview with CNN said he was “wrong” about Trump in 2016.
“I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected,” Vance said.
New York’s Republican delegation at the convention celebrated Vance’s selection, saying the 39-year-old, who will turn 40 next month, brings youth and vigor to the ticket as Trump continues to run a statistically tight race with Democratic President Joe Biden, 81, and Vice President Kamala Harris, 59.
State GOP chairman Ed Cox, speaking from the convention floor, told Newsday he believed Vance, a father of three young children, is a known commodity to voters, citing his book and frequent appearances on the Sunday morning political talk show circuit.
“He’s brilliant,” Cox said. “His background as described in 'Hillbilly Elegy,' his brilliant defense of Donald Trump on the Sunday news shows; it’s a terrific choice.”
Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo, sitting on the convention floor with other Nassau delegates, called Vance a “Renaissance man” who illustrated how someone critical of Trump could ultimately become “very supportive."
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), seated next to Cairo, said he was excited by Vance’s nomination because “he brings youth and some different approaches to government.”
Trump selected a new running mate after his public split with former Vice President Mike Pence, who resisted Trump’s calls for Pence to block the certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vance has expressed support for those arrested at the Capitol, and has said he would have handled the 2020 certification differently than Pence by allowing states to seat multiple "slates of electors." The U.S. Constitution, which outlines the presidential certification process, does not have any provisions calling for competing sets of electors.
"If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there," Vance told ABC News in February.
The Biden-Harris campaign took aim at Vance's selection calling him "the poster child for MAGA extremism."
“Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.
Before Vance’s selection, New York Republican leaders preparing for the first day of the convention on Monday sought to project a united front, saying the recent assassination attempt against Trump would ultimately galvanize support behind the party’s nominee.
Cox, speaking to Newsday before the day’s events, said Trump’s immediate response in the wake of the shooting — waving his fist in the air to the crowd and shouting “fight” — served as a rallying call for Republicans.
“He made sure the Secret Service cleared out around him, so he could give the crowd a message —‘fight’ — we’re going to fight for things we believe in. That’s energizing for us,” Cox said. “He could have cowered, he could have kept undercover, but he didn’t, he wanted to get his message out even at the risk of his own life.”
Cox said that despite the shooting, the state’s delegation of 91 elected officials and party leaders felt secure heading to Milwaukee, where tight security measures were already being put into place before a lone gunman shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. Trump’s ear was bloodied from the incident and a 50-year-old supporter was killed. Two other spectators were critically injured. The FBI has said it is probing the shooting as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism.
"This is my ninth Republican convention, starting in ‘68, and I’ve never seen security as tight as this," Cox said of the barricades and security perimeter surrounding the convention hall.
Cairo told Newsday he anticipated Trump will use his Thursday night address to call for unity amid a divided electorate.
"I’ve been around for a long time, but there’s this feeling out there, it’s just not good," Cairo said. "We’ve got to get along and get together. We’ll see what happens this year, but there’s a tone that is being set now that will be toned down."
Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia told Newsday that he hoped Saturday’s failed assassination attempt would make both parties realize there needs to be a positive discourse.
"Almost directly after this incident one of the first words Trump said was ‘America unite’ . . . I think that’s the direction we need to move in," Garcia said.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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