Who Is J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's VP Pick?

Donald Trump announced that he had chosen Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his running mate on the 2024 Republican White House Ticket.

"After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance," Trump posted via Truth Social on July 15 (Monday).

"J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond," Trump continued.

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Vance had previously been vocal about his dislike for Trump, calling him an "idiot" and suggesting that he was "America's Hitler."

However, when running for Senate in 2022, the 39-year-old praised MAGA values.

Who Is J.D. Vance?

Born James Donald Bowman in August 1984 in Middletown, Ohio, after a documented tumultuous childhood, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating high school.

Vance married his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, in 2014.

The lovebirds met at Yale Law School, during which they organized a discussion group on the subject of "social decline in white America," according to The New York Times.

They have welcomed three children together, two sons, Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel, according to The Hill.

Vance and his wife are fairly private regarding their personal life, however, Usha did appear alongside the Republican VP Nominee at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

Before entering politics, Vance wrote the memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a 2020 Netflix film starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

Former Governor of Indiana Mike Pence served as Trump's vice president from Jan. 20, 2017 to Jan. 20, 2021.