MILWAUKEE - Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate in part because Vance has similar political views, a good rapport with the former president and a prodigious fundraising network — and despite the fact that he once wondered if Trump might turn out to be "America's Hitler."
Trump also believes that the author of a celebrated book on rural America can appeal to working class voters in key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to Republican campaign officials and allies.
Vance has "championed the hardworking men and women of our Country," Trump said in announcing his selection on the Truth Social website.
For their part, Democrats said Trump-Vance is the most extreme presidential ticket in history, one that wants to ban abortion nationwide, cut health care programs, and overturn elections that don't go their way.
As vice president, Vance would "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," said Jen O'Malley Dillon, campaign chair for President Joe Biden.
An extended process
Trump's announcement ended an informal, months-long process in which Trump spoke often with Vance and other finalists.
The former president basically provided tryouts, asking the vice presidential candidates to speak at campaign events and reviewing their frequent television appearances. Some of the candidates helped Trump prepare for his June 27 debate with Biden.
Two other finalists, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, were informed a few hours before Trump went public with the Vance selection.
The other candidates had just a few more liabilities, sources said.
Rubio, for example, lives in Florida, the same state as Trump, and that could have created legal problems with the Electoral College.
The Trump campaign and Rubio's team held numerous conversations over the last 10 days about the residency issue, a person familiar with the negotiations said. They wanted to make sure that the residency question could withstand legal challenges, and never got there.
A source close to Trump said he had settled on Vance by Friday. His adult sons were pushing for the pick. Donald Trump Jr. is particularly close with Vance.
After Trump's attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, Vance came out with an aggressive statement blaming Biden that worried some in Trump's orbit. The statement caused "a bobble" on Sunday about whether to go with Vance and "some additional consideration" but it was "not enough" to torpedo the pick, the source close to Trump said, adding that Trump was "never comfortable" with Rubio's residency issue.
"In the case of Marco, the residency issue, the potential legal issues was always a concern," said an individual familiar with the VP selection process, adding: "Rubio had the residency stuff which I think ultimately played the role there."
Vance's youthful appeal
In the end, Trump went with someone young — Vance turns 40 next month — who could carry the MAGA banner on tariffs, border security, and suspicion of foreign entanglements into the 2028 presidential election and beyond.
In announcing his pick on Truth Social, Trump said he gave the matter "lengthy deliberation and thought" and decided that Vance was "the person best suited" to be a potential vice president.
A Marine Corps veteran, a graduate of Ohio State and Yale Law School, and the author of a celebrated book on rural America, Trump also cited Vance's "successful business career in Technology and Finance."
"And now, during the Campaign, (Vance) 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 said.
Vance's anti-Trumpism
Trump did not mention Vance's past attacks on him.
A native of Middletown, Ohio, Vance rose to prominence with the 2016 publication of "Hillbilly Elegy," a book that described the struggles of people in Appalachia.
As the 2016 presidential election evolved, Vance said many rural Americans had been badly served by politicians, including Trump, whom he called an "idiot" who was "noxious" and "hard to stomach."
In a 2016 text message that was disclosed during his 2022 Senate race, Vance said: "I go back and forth between thinking Trump might be a cynical ass---- like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he might be America’s Hitler. How’s that for discouraging?”
Vance said he changed his mind during Trump's presidency.
When he ran for a U.S. Senate seat from Ohio, Vance eagerly sought Trump's endorsem*nt, and got it, thanks in part to his emerging friendship with Donald Trump, Jr.
An aggressive politician
Vance also figures to be an aggressive campaigner in the weeks ahead, despite Trump's calls for calm in the wake of his near-assassination on Saturday.
In the days since, Trump has called for national unity, and said he will make it a theme of his nomination acceptance speech on Thursday.
Vance, however, has been one of the most outspoken lawmakers in tying the shooting to Democratic rhetoric.
A few hours after the shooting, Vance posted on X: "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."
Picked for a lot of reasons
Vance brings a variety of attributes to the campaign, said Trump and Republican aides and allies.
Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist, said Trump selected Vance because "he's from a younger generation, he's fully committed to Trump's agenda and will continue it as a loyal partner and potential successor."
He added that Vance hails "from middle America and can speak to the issues that matter in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania ... He is a bridge to both the crypto and tech communities."
Vance's profile could help appeal to blue-collar workers, Catholics, veterans and union members, longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone said.
"I think he has working-class appeal," Stone said.
While Trump already is strong with white working-class voters who are pivotal in key Midwestern swing states, Vance "adds to the appeal," said Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union and a longtime Trump supporter who previously ran the George W. Bush White House's political operation.
Republicans said Trump wanted someone politically compatible.
"Trump wants someone he agrees with," pollster Frank Luntz said. "Vance is the closest in ideology to Trump's 2024 agenda."
Schlapp said Vance's chemistry with Trump likely played a role in his selection.
“Part of this, if a president and vice president are to maximize their effectiveness, they’ve got to have a rapport and my guess is they’ve developed that and that’s part of the decision a presidential candidate has to make," Schlapp said.
Yet while Vance is closely aligned with Trump, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said that applies to all the VP contenders.
DeWine noted Vance also is a strong communicator who has been a prominent Trump surrogate on television and is effective in delivering his message.
"What I saw in the last few months was J.D. Vance being able to articulate on a national stage, a lot of different TV time, really what Trump has been talking about and to do it in a way that I think people can relate to," DeWine said. "He’s very smart, he’s a quick learn, but he’s someone whose I think is very, very articulate. So it seems to me a very natural pick really.”
Then there's the money.
Trump made fundraising ability a part of his running mate search, and Vance, a former venture capitalist, has access to big money across the country, particularly Silicon Valley.
Does it make any difference?
Throughout the process, some Republicans questioned whether any vice presidential pick makes any difference in any presidential election.
"I'm incredulous that VP choices really add voters to the coalition a presidential nominee is already working with, though in some cases they can shore up confidence," Republican political consultant Liz Mair said.
In this case, she said, "I struggle to see who wasn't already voting for Trump who will be now because of the addition of Vance to the ticket."
Mair did say that Vance, an author and frequent television guest, could be good on the stump and on television, and that is important because "it's very clear that Trump is not as effective a communicator as he was in 2016 or even 2020."
The group of running mate skeptics has included, at times, Trump himself.
In February, during a Fox News town hall in South Carolina, Trump said: "So ... the one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact. It's whoever the president is, it just seems."
They said Vance is too young — the youngest vice presidential nominee since Richard Nixon in 1952 — with too little a track record. They also noted that he represents Ohio, a state Trump should carry regardless of his running mate.
The pick seems likely to energize Trump's base, though, and may be a sign that Trump feels he is running strong and can afford to pick a candidate who pleases his most loyal supporters rather than one aimed more at reaching swing voters.
'America First' candidate
Vance is a darling of the "America First" movement of diehard MAGA backers.
“I wouldn’t say that this pick guarantees some kind of voting block," Schlapp said. "I think what this pick does is it guarantees that Donald Trump is doubling down, that his message of America first is what America needs.”
In Milwaukee Monday, Vance walked onto the red-carpeted floor of the arena where the Republican National Convention is being held to the song “America First” by Merle Haggard, his wife Usha by his side.
He made his way to the Ohio delegation, where he shook hands, hugged delegates and took selfies.
Waiting for Vance to appear on the convention floor, Ohio delegate Lisa Stickan, the chair of the Cuyahoga County GOP in the Cleveland area, said Vance will “resonate with Midwest voters and he will be able to strongly help the president deliver his message.”
Some delegates scribbled Vance’s name on their Trump signs to reflect the full ticket.
Chants of “J.D., J.D.” and “USA, USA” broke out.
“Alright J.D., let’s go!” someone shouted.
