Veep Pick JD Vance Once Thought Trump Was An Idiot & Like Hitler

WASHINGTON, DC (IANS/REUTERS) – The Republican nominee for the White House, Donald Trump, has named J.D. Vance, a first-time Senator from Ohio whose wife is an Indian American, as his vice presidential nominee.

At 39 years of age, Vance is 40 years younger than Trump and brings to the ticket experience in the US military. A former venture capitalist and author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance first gained national attention for his autobiography about growing up in a working-class American family. He was elected to the US Senate in 2022, largely thanks to Trump’s endorsement.

Vance served in the Marine Corps, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio State University in two years, and earned a degree from Yale Law School, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. His book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a major bestseller and was adapted into a movie.

Vance is expected to broaden Trump’s appeal among working-class voters, given his background detailed in “Hillbilly Elegy.” His connections from working in venture capital in San Francisco are also expected to attract donors to the ticket. Additionally, he is seen as an effective and erudite proponent of Trump’s MAGA — Make America Great Again — vision on TV.

Vance was not always a Trump supporter. He once famously called Trump “America’s Hitler” and counted himself among the “Never Trumpers,” publicly labeling Trump an “idiot” and “reprehensible.” However, his transformation from a “Never Trumper” to a staunch loyalist is notable within Trump’s inner circle.

After an assassination attempt on Trump, Vance blamed President Joe Biden, stating, “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.” This statement may haunt Vance and his campaign as both parties seek to dial down political rhetoric, led by Biden and Trump.

The Biden-Harris campaign criticized Trump’s pick, stating that Vance was chosen because he would “do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people.” Democrats and even some Republicans have questioned whether Vance, who wrote a bestselling memoir and is now a U.S. senator, is driven more by opportunism than ideology.

However, Trump and many of his advisers see Vance’s transformation as genuine. They note that Vance’s political beliefs — which combine isolationism with economic populism — align with Trump’s, putting both men at odds with the old guard of the Republican Party, where foreign policy hawks and free-market evangelists still hold sway.