Trump Picks JD Vance as Running Mate

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Facts

• The now-official Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump named Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate on Monday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.¹
• The former president stressed that Vance was 'the person best suited' to the position and would focus on 'the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and far beyond' on the campaign trail.²
• Once a fierce Trump critic, the 39-year-old changed his position ahead of the 2022 Senate race and has become one of his staunchest supporters in the upper chamber.³
• On top of his Trump-aligned credentials, he brings connections to Silicon Valley to the GOP presidential ticket. Vance recently helped organize a fundraiser for Trump in San Francisco hosted by two high-profile tech venture capitalists.⁴
• Several other names had been shortlisted as potential running mates for Trump over the course of his campaign, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.⁵
• If Trump wins the presidential election in November, Vance would become the youngest vice president since Richard Nixon, and his vacant Senate seat would be temporarily filled by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has yet to endorse Trump.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²FOX News, ³USA Today, ⁴CNN, ⁵New York Post and ⁶Politico.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. Vance had been undersold along the campaign because he would allegedly bring little to the presidential ticket, especially as Ohio is a pro-Trump state. Actually, his appointment shows that Trump has doubled down on his MAGA populist platform combined with Silicon Valley savvy. This reassures both young and rural voters that someone will speak about their issues.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by AlterNet. If Trump alone would be enough of a threat to America's democracy, a Trump-Vance presidential ticket makes things even worse. Unlike Mike Pence, Vance will eagerly support any attempt to subvert democracy due to his own authoritarian, Machiavellian dreams — and that is precisely why Trump chose him as his running mate.

Predictions