J.D. Vance: From critic to Trump's vice-presidential choice
J.D. Vance is a political novice who has quickly become one of the leading figures in Donald Trump's camp and, according to election forecasts, is set to become the new vice-president-elect. Not long ago, he criticised the former president and now voices his disapproval for support towards Ukraine. In 2022, he mentioned in an interview: - I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.
In two years in the Senate, Vance has garnered a reputation as a populist and a fan of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Before the country knew him as a potential Trump successor, he was recognised for a different role: the author of the bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," published just before the 2016 presidential election.
Who is J.D. Vance?
James David Vance, then still a financier without declared political ambitions, chronicled his upbringing in a deprived coal mining area in Kentucky and his escape from the surrounding despair. The book caused a sensation and was adapted into a film by Netflix; after Trump was elected president, it was presented as an explanation for the populist billionaire's popularity.
Vance had not yet fallen under Trump's influence at that time: he claimed he didn't like him. He portrayed this politician as "cultural heroin" for impoverished Americans and a potential "America's Hitler."
A leading advocate of "Trumpism"
Today, the 40-year-old senator from Ohio – one of the youngest vice-presidential candidates in U.S. history – is a leading advocate of Trumpism. In an interview with Fox News, his first after being elected as the vice-presidential candidate, he admitted he had said bad things about Trump but assured that he was wrong about him; he also praised the former president's achievements.
- In choosing J.D. Vance as his running mate, Trump is doubling down on himself - commented conservative columnist Jim Geraghty of the "Washington Post." Other commentators assessed that Trump's choice seals the dominance of Trumpism in the Republican Party and reflects his confidence in his electoral chances.
Trump's risk was supposedly Vance's views on abortion. In 2019, the politician converted to Catholicism and became one of the staunchest opponents of abortion. However, he recently softened his stance and supported Trump's position that the matter should be left to the states.
Vance is one of the most radical critics of globalisation, free trade, and large corporations and a populist advocate for state assistance, protectionism, and family-friendly policies. Presenting Vance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Ohio's Senate candidate Bernie Moreno emphasised that—like Trump—he would care for the "forgotten Americans."
- To J.D. Vance, 'America First' is not just a slogan. It's his North Star. - Moreno assured. As the senate candidate claimed, Vance knows what it means to live in poverty, to be forgotten by politicians in Washington and he will ensure no American is forgotten anymore.
Even more than his economic views, Vance differs from the traditional party establishment in terms of foreign policy issues. Although he is a hawk regarding China and Iran, the same cannot be said about his stance on Russia.
In less than two years in the Senate, the politician has become one of the most vocal opponents of assisting Ukraine. In an interview with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, he stated he doesn't care what happens to Ukraine. He mocked that for the money given by the U.S., "one of Zelensky's ministers can buy a bigger yacht." He also echoed the sentiment often propagated by Kremlin critics that the U.S. rulers want to "fight with Russia up until the last Ukrainian."
Controversial remarks about Ukraine
During one of the briefings before the Senate vote on the aid package for Ukraine, Vance told PAP that he does not want Putin to win, but it's more important for him to protect the U.S. borders than Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News, he stated that the U.S. should bring the war to a halt as soon as possible "so America can focus on the real issue, which is China."
In 2022, he told Steve Bannon in an interview: - I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.
In February 2024, when Vance appeared for the first time at the Munich Security Conference, he told Politico that the U.S. needed to reassess its support for Ukraine and left the meeting with the Ukrainian delegation and other senators.
Like Trump and other politicians from his camp, Vance is also a supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He has praised the Hungarian government's decisions regarding ideological changes in universities and claimed that the U.S. can learn a lot from Budapest.
