What to know about Trump’s VP pick, J.D. Vance

BEIJING, CHINA | Xinhua | Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, announced Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate Monday, ending months of speculation on his vice president pick.

Vance, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 and sworn into office in January 2023, has quickly risen to prominence in American politics.

After graduating from high school in 2003, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a combat correspondent in Iraq.

He later attended Ohio State University and Yale Law School and worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.

Initially, Vance was a vocal critic of Trump, labeling him as “dangerous” and “unfit” for the presidency in 2016, even calling him “America’s Hitler.”

However, after meeting Trump in 2021, Vance’s views shifted, and he became a loyal ally. Since his election to the Senate, he has steadfastly supported Trump’s policies and actions.

Vance first gained national recognition with the publication of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” in 2016. The book, which details his upbringing in the Rust Belt states, became a bestseller and brought him into the national spotlight.

Vance started writing the memoir while he was at Yale at the encouragement of his mentor and “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” author Amy Chua.

In his book, Vance documented his tumultuous childhood, marked not only by his father’s departure from the family but also by his mother’s struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol.

The memoir provides a candid look at the economic and social challenges faced by communities in the Rust Belt states, emphasizing issues such as job loss, opioid addiction, and a sense of cultural and economic displacement.

The Rust Belt, including states like Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, was once a thriving hub of manufacturing known for its steel production, automobile manufacturing, and other heavy industries.

However, over the past few decades, these states have experienced significant economic decline, leading to widespread unemployment and financial instability, with families facing the dual pressures of stagnant wages and rising living costs.

Vance’s perspectives align with Trump’s “America First” policies, which prioritize American jobs and industries, striking a chord with voters who believe the political establishment in Washington has neglected their concerns.

He has consistently opposed U.S. policy regarding the Ukraine crisis. This April, Vance argued in a New York Times op-ed that the administration lacked a clear strategy for Ukraine’s success. ■