US Elections 2024: Ohio Senator James David Vance, who was selected as the vice presidential running mate of former US President Donald Trump for the upcoming elections, officially accepted his nomination on Wednesday (Local time), calling Trump "America's last best hope". In his inaugural speech, Vance also lauded Trump's vision and policies while criticising US President Joe Biden.
"So tonight, Mr. Chairman, I stand here humbled, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to say I officially accept your nomination to be Vice President of the United States of America," Vance said during the Republican National Convention (RNC) as the crowd burst into cheers, while his wife Usha Vance and Trump gave him a standing ovation.
Vance, 39, was once a fierce critic of Trump and later became one of his strongest supporters. During his speech, the Senator cast himself as the son of a forgotten industrial Ohio town who will fight for the working class if elected in November, describing his struggles from a difficult childhood to the US Marines, Yale Law School to finally the US Senate.
"I grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands and loved their God, their family, their community and their country with their whole hearts... But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America's ruling class in Washington," he said.
Vance also hailed Trump as "tough" and said he "cares about people." He was introduced at the event by his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, who talked of the stark difference between how she and her husband grew up — she was a middle-class immigrant from San Diego, and he was from a low-income Appalachian family. Highlighting the role of immigrants in the country, Vance heaped praises on his wife. "“I am married to the daughter of South Asian immigrants to this country, incredible people, people who genuinely have enriched the country in so many ways. And of course, I'm biased because I love my wife and her family,” he said.
Vance goes after Biden in inaugural speech
Slamming Biden on several issues, Vance said the President had been a politician in Washington as long as he was alive and was the a champion of every single policy initiative to make America "weaker and poorer" for about half a century. He also accused the 81-year-old President of destroying communities like his with ill-fated trade policies and foreign wars.
"When I was in the 4th grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) - a bad trade deal which sent countless good jobs to Mexico. When I was a sophomore in high school, that same career politician named Joe Biden gave China a sweetheart trade deal that destroyed even more good American middle-class manufacturing jobs," he further said.
Lauding Trump's spirit, Vance also spoke on the assassination attempt on the former President, saying his only instinct was for the people to fight for America, even in his most perilous moment. "Consider the lies they told you about Donald Trump, and then look at that photo of him, defiant, fist in the air. When Donald Trump rose to his feet in that Pennsylvania field, all of America stood with him," he added.
"President Trump represents America's last best hope to restore what if lost, may never be found again. A country where a working class boy, born far from the halls of power, can stand on this stage as the next Vice President of the United States of America," Vance said.
Vance described his grandmother, "Mamaw," who raised him as his mother struggled with addiction - and acknowledged his mother, Beverly, who was on hand to watch him speak. "I am proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober," Vance said. "I love you, Mom."
Who is JD Vance?
James David Vance was born in an impoverished Middletown, Ohio and served in Iraq as part of the US Marines. He won a scholarship to Yale Law School and worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and is a prominent conservative voice. He rose to national fame with his 2016 bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy", which was positively received by the Trump family. However, Vance was not always so supportive and close to Trump.
In 2016, Vance was a fierce critic of Trump, calling him an "idiot" and saying he was "reprehensible." Vance also described himself as "never Trumper", and his stalwart loyalty to the former President has puzzled many - including Democrats who have accused him of being driven by opportunism. Vance also criticised Trump's racist rhetoric, saying he could be “America's Hitler.”
However, the 39-year-old Ohio senator is a relative political unknown, having served in the Senate for less than two years. Along with his relative youth, Vance is new to some of the hallmarks of Republican presidential politics: This year’s gathering is the first RNC that Vance has attended, according to a Trump campaign official.
According to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted before Trump selected the freshman senator as his choice, 6 in 10 Americans don’t know enough about him to have formed an opinion. About 2 in 10 US adults have a favorable view of him, and 22 per cent view him negatively.
Vance has opposed military aid for Ukraine and defended Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. He has argued the government must do more to assist the working class by restricting imports, raising the minimum wage and cracking down on corporate largesse. Those positions, at odds with the Republican Party's traditional pro-business stance, nonetheless track Trump's program closely. Democrats have also targeted his strict anti-abortion views and arguing that he will advance an extreme, far-right agenda in office.
(with inputs from agencies)
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