Donald Trump’s prospects of retaking the White House in November are likely to improve significantly by appointing J.D. Vance as his nominee for Vice President.
Trump’s chances had already received a boost after he survived last weekend’s assassination attempt, when he was lucky to escape with nothing more serious than an injured ear.
The Republican contender has certainly lost no time making political capital out of the attack, when he was targeted by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks at a rally in Pennsylvania, telling supporters that “God alone” had saved his life.
After a retired fireman was killed and two more attendees severely injured at the rally, Trump said he sent his “love” to the victims, and that he was praying for the wounded, while calling on Americans to be “resilient” in the face of “wickedness”.
His subsequent appearance at the Republican national convention being held in Milwaukee, during which he appeared with a large bandage on his right ear, prompted rapturous applause from the assembled convention crowd.
Delegates chanted “fight, fight, fight,” echoing Trump’s own words in the immediate of the shooting.
Picking a backstory
Trump decided to appoint Vance after he conducted a lengthy interview process of potential candidates. He sought a Vice President who was most likely to boost his re-election prospects.
In January 2020, his former Vice President Mike Pence refused to support Trump’s claim that the election was rigged. Trump had put pressure on Pence to refuse to ratify the result, first in private, then publicly.
This time, Trump has opted for Vance, because of the following he has built up since he published his memoir Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, a haunting tale of growing up in the rust-belt town of Middletown in Ohio.
Vance also boasts an impressive CV and has a humble background. His mother was a drug addict, and his father abandoned the family when Vance was just a toddler.
Brought up mainly by his grandparents, Vance joined the US Marines, served a tour of duty in Iraq, then studied at Ohio State University and Yale Law School before becoming a venture capitalist in California.
A presidential path
His popular book is an honest account of his upbringing which made him not only a bestselling author but also a sought-after commentator. He has been frequently called on to explain Trump’s appeal to white, working-class voters.
Indeed, Vance’s close affinity with blue-collar voters—who he says have been overlooked by the Washington elite—was another factor in Trump’s decision. It will broaden Trump’s appeal among working class voters, a key voting constituency.
This means that the 39-year-old first-term senator from Ohio is not only Trump’s running mate but is also now an early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.
