go through Mike Wendling, BBC News, at the Republican National Convention
JD Vance, Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, vowed in a prime-time speech to fight for the American working class, which he believes has been “abandoned and forgotten” by the Democratic Party.
The Ohio senator introduced himself to millions of Americans watching at home and referenced his humble Midwestern roots as he attacked “career politicians” like President Joe Biden.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he said Trump was Americans’ “last best hope.”
Trump and his running mate will challenge the Democrats for the White House in the November election, with the current candidates being Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday night, Biden’s X account fired back at Vance over his stance on abortion and Ukraine.
Vance, 39, hopes to become one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history.
In his speech, he recounted his journey from a difficult childhood in small-town Ohio to the U.S. Marine Corps, Yale Law School, and finally the U.S. Senate.
The author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” about his impoverished family in Appalachia’s coal country says “America’s ruling class” has destroyed communities like his hometown through trade deals and foreign wars.
“From Iraq to Afghanistan, from the financial crisis to the Great Recession, from open borders to stagnant wages, the people running this country have failed again and again,” he said.
He continued: “Donald Trump represents America’s last best hope of recovering something that – if lost – may never be found again.
“A country where a working-class boy, far from the halls of power, could stand on this stage.”
The running mate’s husband, Usha Vance, is a lawyer and the daughter of Indian immigrants.
“When we allow new people in, we allow them on our terms,” he said.
Vance, a former opponent of Trump, has dismissed the Republican as an “idiot” who could become “America’s Hitler.”
Getty ImagesAt the time, he was already a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, and he later reconciled with Trump.
He won the support of the former president and was elected to the Senate in 2022, taking office the following year.
Democrats have seized on some of Vance’s past comments, including that he “doesn’t really care what happens in Ukraine” and supports a nationwide abortion ban.
He has recently softened his stance on abortion to align with the official Republican platform, which says the issue should be decided by the states.
In his speech, he did not mention the war in Ukraine or talk much about foreign policy, which was the theme of the third day of the party congress.
Vance did say that America’s allies must share the burden of ensuring world peace and that the United States would avoid conflict but would “strike hard” if provoked during Trump’s second term as president.
He began his speech by talking about last Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump.
“They accused him of being a tyrant,” he said. “They said he must be stopped at all costs. But how did he respond? He called for national unity, for national calm.”
Immediately after the attack, Vance blamed it on Biden’s comments and his warnings about the threat to democracy posed by his Republican opponents.
Until Wednesday night, most Americans knew little about him.
A CNN poll last month found that 13% of registered voters said they had a favorable opinion of Mr. Vance, while 20% had an unfavorable opinion — nearly two-thirds of whom either came from Never heard of him or have no opinion.
On Wednesday, some attendees said they were still learning about his biography.
Two Republican representatives from Louisiana, Cindy Dole and Jackie Cannon, said they were excited about Trump’s choice.
“He was young and full of energy,” Ms. Dole said.
She said she admired “Hillbilly Elegy” but other than that she didn’t know much about Mr. Vance.
The speech came shortly after President Biden was diagnosed with Covid-19 and temporarily suspended his campaign.
The climax of the Republican National Convention will be Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday night.
Chris Devine – Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Dayton and author of “Does Running Buddy Matter?” – told the BBC that vice-presidential selections tend to have little impact on the overall campaign.
“If people think J.D. Vance is inexperienced, they will underestimate Donald Trump and his judgment,” he said. “Not a lot, but probably on the edge.”
But Mr. Devine also noted that Mr. Vance is a “very talented communicator” despite being a relative political newcomer.
Additional reporting by Kayla Epstein and Brandon Livesay
