Donald Trump has named JD Vance, the Senator of Ohio, to be his running mate.
“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 of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network as the Republican National Convention (RNC) got underway in Milwaukee.
Later, Vance appeared alongside Trump on the first night of the Republican National Convention after the pair was formally nominated as the GOP ticket for the 2024 presidential election.
Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas Governor said that Vance was a “strategic” choice.
The new Republican vice-presidential pick is the embodiment of Trump’s “America First” policies.
He is part of a new generation of pro-Trump lawmakers who reject the traditional US foreign policy consensus.
Vance has been a leading opponent of US aid to Ukraine, saying defence against China should be a much bigger priority.
Vance was once a Trump critic, but he has since become one of the candidate’s most trusted defenders on Capitol Hill and in the media.
When asked by a media personality about his past criticism of Trump, including comments branding Trump “America’s Hitler,” Vance replied, “I don’t hide from that.”
“I was certainly sceptical of Donald Trump in 2016. But President Trump was a great president and he changed my mind. I think he changed the minds of a lot of Americans because, again, he delivered that peace and prosperity.
“I bought into the media’s lies and distortions. I bought into this idea that somehow, he was going to be so different, a terrible threat to democracy. It was a joke.”
JD Vance
The economy was the official theme of the first night of the RNC with several speakers praising Trump’s plans to end inflation.
Speakers also spoke about immigration.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, senior figures in the party are expected to address the convention. The people are also likely to hear from Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
Then on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, they will hear from JD Vance, the vice-presidential nominee, leaving the way for Donald Trump to come in on Thursday, July 18, 2024, and deliver his speech.
Assasination Attempt Does Trump Some Good
Donald Trump received a hero’s welcome at the Republican National Convention, the former President’s first public appearance since he narrowly survived an attempted assassination.
Donald Trump, wearing a bandage partially covering his right ear, made a dramatic entrance to loud cheers.
North Carolina’s lieutenant governor Mark Robinson said in a floor speech, that a gunman’s bid to kill Trump has turned him into “the Braveheart of our time.”
Multiple speakers addressed the attack on Trump.
“Our God still saves, he still delivers and he still sets free,” South Carolina Senator Tim Scott told the crowd.
“Because, on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle – but an American lion got back up on his feet, and he roared,” he added.
Asked if the incident has changed the tone and tenor of the convention, Rebecca Harary, cofounder and president of the America First Club in Boca Raton, Florida, replied, “It gives us much more power, much more strength, much more will to make sure that Trump wins and wins loudly, greatly, strongly and with all of the determination and perseverance that he portrays.”
While the effect of the attack on Trump on the race is not yet clear, some political analysts have suggested that it will bolster his chances of winning, especially as it occurred in a key swing state that is considered vital to Biden’s election hopes.
Trump is already leading Biden in most opinion polls, both nationwide and in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
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