Former President Donald Trump announced he is selecting Sen. JD Vance (R–Ohio) as his running mate for the 2024 Presidential contest on Monday.
Trump, two days after his assassination attempt, made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Behind the pick: Trump spent much of Monday informing other contenders – namely Sen. Marco Rubio (R–Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum – that they were officially out of the running.
- Another contender for the Vice Presidential gig was Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who appeared on the RNC Convention floor mere minutes before the announcement occurred via Truth Social.
Get to know Vance: Vance, the author of the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, was once a fierce Trump critic during his 2016 run.
- Heading into his candidacy for Ohio’s Senate seat, Vance grew closer ideologically to Trump and emerged as a top advocate on Capitol Hill.
- The Ohio Senator had significant backing from Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., over the course of the months of Vice Presidential vetting.
- Vance, an Ohio native, served as a Marine Corps Corporal in the Iraq War, is a Yale Law graduate who spent considerable time in the tech industry as a venture capitalist prior to his election to the Senate in 2022.
