J.D. Vance offers Trump a fresh face with a MAGA profile
MILWAUKEE—In selecting his new apprentice, Donald Trump picked a familiar figure within his populist, right-wing base who brings a fresh face to an election featuring two older men. J.D. Vance, a millennial junior senator from Ohio who gained fame for his “Hillbilly Elegy" memoir about small-town America, offers Trump a natural successor to his MAGA movement.
At 39 years old, he is roughly half the age of Trump and President Biden alike. Trump, the former star of “The Apprentice" reality-television show, kept his choice closely held until Monday afternoon as delegates from across the nation were gathered for the first day of the Republican National Convention. The contest between Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, has been dominated by questions about age—especially Biden’s—and Vance would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history if elected.
Vance might not help Trump broaden his coalition much because his aggressive rhetorical style and policy profile echo the former president’s, but he could help in the Great Lakes states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that look increasingly critical to the outcome in November. “We all know the election comes down to the voters in the Blue Wall," said Dennis Darnoi, a Michigan-based Republican strategist, referring to the three northern states that tended to go Democratic before Trump’s appearance on the national stage. “He’s energetic," Darnoi said of Vance.
“It’s the visual. It’s this guy running from state to state, this young conservative." Vivek Ramaswamy, who challenged Trump for the 2024 nomination and is a longtime friend and former classmate of Vance’s, praised the selection. “He’s a good man, an original thinker, and has clear-eyed principles," Ramaswamy said.
Read more on livemint.com
