J.D. Vance to tell Republican convention he ‘lived the American dream’ from being a ‘Hillbilly’ and pay tribute to his drug addict ‘Mamaw’ in first speech as Trump’s running mate
JD Vance will be on primetime Wednesday night, appearing as Donald Trump’s running mate at the Republican Party convention. He uses the story of his impoverished childhood to speak directly to a forgotten American.
“Some people say I lived the American Dream, and they’re right,” he says, as his mother looks on from Trump’s box.
“But the American Dream that mattered most wasn’t about starting a business, or becoming a senator, or even being here with you fine folks. It was about being a good husband and a good father, and giving my family the things I didn’t have as a child.”
The 39-year-old first-term senator has been on a meteoric rise from a troubled upbringing amid his mother’s devastating addiction to the Marines to Yale Law School and now to Trump’s campaign.
Outside of political circles, however, he is little known, despite his best-selling book ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, which was later made into a film starring Glenn Close.
Donald Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, spoke at a fundraising event on Wednesday. He will deliver a prime-time address later in the day as the campaign introduces him to the nation
In his speech, he will blame “career politicians” like Joe Biden for trade policies that hurt families like his.
“President Trump’s vision is simple: We’re not committed to Wall Street, we’re committed to the working man,” he planned to say. “We’re not importing foreign labor, we’re fighting for American citizens.”
Yet even he admits he wasn’t always Trump’s biggest fan. He didn’t vote for him in 2016 and has frequently appeared in public to warn against what he saw as the Republican president’s excesses, even privately comparing him to Hitler.
All that will be forgotten in Trump’s 2024 Republican Party, where the remorseful Never-Trumper may even attract skeptics.
Nowhere on the floor was there more excitement than among the Ohio delegation. While other delegates were getting up and strolling around the floor, grabbing a quick bite to eat or using the restroom, the Buckeye chairs were already in place two hours before Vance showed up.
Rep. Mike Gondinaki said the hype surrounding Vance was real.
“He represents the present and the future,” he said. J.D. Vance is the future of our party. What Barack Obama was to the Democrats.
The campaign released footage showing his name being put on a Trump plane and some of his Senate staff being transferred to the presidential campaign.
The tough upbringing Vance endured, as the son of an addicted mother with an endless string of partners in southern Ohio, is a message that will resonate across much of the American heartland.
Usha Vance appeared on stage to introduce her husband to the convention. “It’s hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream,” she said
Former President Donald Trump arrives for the third day of the Republican convention
But he lacks political experience and was only elected to the Senate two years ago.
Still, the Yale Law School graduate has intellectual prowess and is seen as the kind of vice president who can help build Trump’s instinctive politics with a philosophical framework.
Trump ally Nigel Farage, who was elected to the British parliament earlier this month, said the 78-year-old former president has his eye on the future.
“This is the Trump succession,” he told DailyMail.com. “This is the MAGA legacy.”
The tension rose throughout the evening.
The noise erupted when Trump himself arrived just after 8 p.m., entering the stage to James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” featuring Pavarotti. It’s one of his favorite songs, and he regularly plays it for guests aboard his private jet to demonstrate the power of the new sound system.
Still, Vance would be the main event, and the evening included nods to his Ohio home. One of the speakers was the mayor of East Palestine.
Vance helped organize Trump’s visit to the city last year, after a devastating train disaster that spilled thousands of tons of toxic chemicals into rivers.
Rep. Nancy Mace, of South Carolina, was another speaker. Afterward, she patrolled the floor in a shocking pink dress, drawing mostly male fans for selfies.
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina admitted she watched “Hillbilly Elegy” on Sunday to get to know him better ahead of the Republican convention this week
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch was spotted speaking to Senator Lindsey Graham
Vendors did a healthy trade in merchandise at the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#She said his extraordinary story would help Trump connect with voters in Joe Biden’s so-called “blue wall” states: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
But she admitted she needed a crash course in Vance before the convention.
“I watched Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix on Sunday night to get to know him a little better,” she said.
On Monday, Vance was unveiled as Trump’s running mate, setting off a flurry of preparations.
The Trump campaign quickly released images of his name plastered on the side of a Trump jet. Security was routed around his home and several of his Senate staffers were redeployed to the presidential campaign.
Another first for Vance on Wednesday was his debut Trump-Vance campaign fundraiser, where he criticized the “dishonest” media before 200 supporters.
Wednesday is Veep Day. Vance will be giving the big speech at the Republican convention in Milwaukee later today. His wife Usha will also be giving a speech
Vance will address delegates Wednesday night. He is seen here during a walkthrough on Tuesday, surveying the podium and lectern in the Fiserv Forum
Vance’s wife Usha will take the stage to address the convention in the presence of her husband
Trump campaign aide Jason Miller posted an image of Vance decals being applied to a plane
Vance with Trump at the Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night before listening to former rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis speak at the convention
“The media keeps saying they want someone who can turn the heat down,” he said.
“Well, Donald Trump got shot and he turned the heat down. That’s what a real leader does.”
Guests at the Discovery World Science Center on the shore of Lake Michigan enjoyed a lunch of Maine lobster rolls and crab-artichoke dip.
Vance brought memories of his humble background as he performed the banjo bluegrass of Merle Haggard’s “America First.”
He said he had to be careful not to give out any details about the big speech that evening.
“I joked with the president that I’m really excited about tonight, and I hope I don’t blow it, but if I do, it’ll be too late. He made the bet, right? It’s official now,” he said, laughing.