Trump taps Ohio Sen. JD Vance as VP pick

Vance, who once called Trump "America's Hitler," is now among his most vocal defenders

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on stage during a 'Save America' rally in Vandalia, Ohio in 2022.
Vance is perhaps best known for writing the memoir "Hillbilly Elegy"
(Image credit: Joshua A. Bickel / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

Donald Trump on Monday ended months of speculation by announcing he had selected Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate. In a statement posted to his Truth Social account, Trump called Vance the "person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States" and someone who will "continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.