(PatriotWise.com) — Following a series of last-minute teases and misdirections, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump ended the VP speculation when he announced on Monday that he selected Ohio freshman Senator JD Vance.
Trump unveiled his pick at about 3:00 p.m., saying in a Truth Social post that after much thought and “deliberation,” he believed that the Ohio Republican was “the person best suited” for the role of vice president.
The former president suggested that Vance, as his running mate, would help the Republicans with the working class and farmers in the Rust Belt states.
Vance, who turns 40 in August, would be the third-youngest vice president in history.
The political newcomer, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, first gained national attention in 2016 with his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.”
A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, Vance obtained a law degree from Yale University and worked in finance and technology before launching a political career.
His selection as Trump’s running mate will no doubt energize the former president’s base, as the first-term senator has been an advocate for the MAGA agenda in the Upper Chamber.
At the same time, Vance is a relative newcomer to both Washington and the MAGA movement.
He was an outspoken opponent of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, describing the then-presidential candidate as “cultural heroin” in a July 2016 guest op-ed in the Atlantic.
In a subsequent interview with PBS during the 2016 election, Vance suggested that Trump’s supporters included an element fueled by “racism and xenophobia.”
Ultimately, Vance voted for third-party candidate Evan McMullin.
After Trump took office, however, Vance’s opinion of him changed. Over time, he became an outspoken supporter and champion of Trump’s America First agenda, particularly in the areas of trade, immigration, and foreign policy.
Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview after his selection that the former president believed that he could help the Republicans win swing states in the Midwest.
Vance also said that Trump thought he would do very well against Vice President Kamala Harris in a debate.
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