Milwaukee (Associated Press) Donald Trump Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance On Wednesday night, he introduced himself to a national audience, Republican National Convention.
The Ohio senator’s headline speech will be his first as the Republican vice presidential nominee. In fact, this year’s rally will also be the first Republican National Convention address for Vance, according to a Trump campaign source not authorized to speak publicly. Vance has transformed himself rapidly in recent years from a relative political unknown. From Trump’s fiercest critic For aggressive defenders.
Former President Donald Trump is introduced at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. At right is Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
At 39, he is positioned to be a potential leader of the former president’s political movement, which has reshaped the Republican Party and shattered long-standing political norms. As the first millennial to join a major party’s nominee, he joined the race at a time when questions about the ages of the two leaders — Trump, 78, and Obama, 81 — were emerging. President Joe Biden — is listed as a top concern among voters.
Vance is expected to recount his history as a man raised poor in Kentucky and Ohio, with a drug-addicted mother and an absentee father who rose to the highest levels of U.S. politics. The story is intended to connect with middle-class voters and highlight how his upbringing shaped his positions on issues such as immigration, inflation and drugs, according to a person familiar with the speech who was not authorized to speak publicly about the speech.
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Vance, an Ivy League graduate and businessman Memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” ” explored his blue-collar roots and catapulted him to national fame when it was published in 2016. The book is now seen as a window into some of the cultural forces that propelled Trump to the White House that year.
Presidential candidate Trump is scheduled to speak on Thursday, the final day of the convention, which will be his first speech since surviving the convention. Assassination attempt At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) arrive during the second day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Besides Vance’s prime-time speech, Republicans plan to focus Wednesday on the theme of American global strength.
Republicans say the US has become the “laughing stock of the world” under Biden and are expected to make their case on Wednesday on their theme of “Making America Strong Again”, which is likely to include Trump’s “America First” foreign policy that has redefined relations with some allies and adversaries.
Democrats have harshly criticized President Trump and Senator Vance’s positions, including questioning U.S. support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
In a video released Wednesday by the Biden reelection campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris dismissed Vance, saying Trump “knew he was someone who would approve of his extreme policies.”
“Make no mistake: J.D. Vance is loyal only to Trump, not to our country,” Harris said in the video.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is introduced during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
Vance was a sharp critic of Trump when he was first elected, calling him in an interview “toxic” and someone who is “leading the white working class into a very dark place.” He once called Trump “the American Hitler.”
He grew fond of Trump over the years, especially as he sought to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. Vance won Trump’s endorsement and helped him win the party’s nomination for the Ohio Senate seat.
Vance became one of Trump’s most outspoken defenders during the former president’s third presidential run, debating journalists, campaigning for him and appearing with the candidate at his trial in New York.
In his first interview since accepting Trump’s candidacy, Vance tried to explain his transformation. In an interview with Fox News Channel on Monday, Vance said Trump was a great president and that he had changed his mind.
“I think he changed the mind of a lot of Americans because he brought peace and prosperity back,” Vance said.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son and a close friend of Vance’s, is also scheduled to speak Wednesday, according to a person close to Trump Jr., who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official speaking schedule has not yet been announced.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Milwaukee and Will Weisert and Mary Claire Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.
