When Donald Trump announced Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, the conservative Republican and his family were thrust into the international political spotlight.
The 39-year-old former venture capitalist, veteran politician and bestselling author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” entered Washington politics less than two years ago, when he was elected as the junior senator for the Buckeye State in the 2022 midterm elections.
Republicans on Monday praised the MAGA favorite as the next generation of the GOP who would bring young conservatives to the party and dismissed his limited government experience.
Democrats criticized him as someone who would enable the former president to push an “extreme MAGA agenda” if elected.
Former President Trump and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio on Monday, July 15, during the Republican National Convention after Trump earlier in the day announced Vance as his pick for vice president
Vance was once a fierce critic of Trump, calling the former president an idiot and a reproach, even comparing the former president to Hitler. Now the senator is one of Trump’s loyal supporters and his pick for vice president.
As Trump’s number two, he’ll have the former president’s ear if they win in November. So where does Vance really stand on these issues?
Immigration
Vance has said he would oppose any effort to grant amnesty to immigrants who enter the country illegally, and has called for the completion of a wall along the border.
The Ohio senator supports Trump’s plan to mass deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. He said on Fox News on Monday, “We need to deport people who have broken our laws,” and said, “I I think we start with the violent criminals.’
He advocates stricter border measures, both for security reasons and to help American workers.
Abortion
Vance opposes abortion in almost all cases, including rape or incest. He has said there should be exceptions only in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.
The Ohio senator praised the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade when he ran for Senate. His campaign website read: “Ban Abortion.”
In a May interview with CBS News, Vance declined to say where he stood on what he thought should be the standard for federal abortion limits. During his Senate campaign, he said he would vote for a 15-week abortion ban if elected.
Van opposed Ohio’s proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, which passed last year.
He also voted against the Democrats’ bill to protect access to IVF.
In recent months, however, there appear to have been attempts to soften the tone of his abortion team on his Wikipedia page and personal websites.
JD Vance campaigns in Ohio when he runs for Senate in 2022. He campaigned on a platform of opposing abortion in all cases except when the mother’s life is in danger, and said he would support a federal 15-week abortion ban
Ukraine
Vance is skeptical of the war in Ukraine and has called on the US to stop supporting the country in its war with Russia after Russia invaded the country.
Earlier this year, he opposed the national security law, which included additional provisions for Ukraine.
While the Ohio senator praised the Ukrainians’ fight, he suggested that European countries should foot the bill and warned the US against funding a war with no clear end.
“I have to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine,” he once said in a podcast interview when he was running for Senate.
Middle East
Although Vance opposes U.S. funding for Ukraine, he has been a staunch supporter of Israel during the war in Gaza, telling Fox News on Monday night that Israel must end the war “as quickly as possible.”
“Our goal in the Middle East should be to enable the Israelis to build a good relationship with the Saudis and other Gulf states,” Vance said in an interview with CNN in May. “There’s no way we can do that unless the Israelis finish the job with Hamas.”
The difference Vance argues between aid to Israel and Ukraine is that Israel has an achievable goal.
Senator JD Vance opposes US funding of Ukraine, but supports funding Israel in its war against Hamas.
6 January
Vance said during his campaign for the Ohio Senate seat that he believes the election was “stolen from Trump.” He has also pushed back on allegations that Trump played a role in inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vance also said earlier this year that if he had been vice president, he would have bowed to Trump’s demand not to certify the 2020 election.
“If I had been vice president, I would have told states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many other states that we needed multiple slates of electors, and I think the United States Congress would have had to fight over that from that point on,” Vance said in an interview with ABC News.
When asked by NBC News earlier this month whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election, Vance said:“As long as it is a free and fair election… of course we will do that.”
Economy
The Ohio senator has departed from several economic policies that Republicans have pursued for years on trade, unions and taxes.
He has expressed support for raising the minimum wage when he introduced a bill with other Republican senators to raise the wage while also requiring e-verify to ensure the minimum wage goes to legally eligible workers.
Vance has called for broad tariffs on goods coming primarily from China, telling CBS News last month, “We need to protect American industries from all competition.”
Senator Vance with his wife Usha as they arrive on the floor during the first day of the Republican National Convention after he was chosen as Trump’s running mate
Vance is expected to support Trump’s effort to extend provisions of the tax law passed during Trump’s first term. But earlier this year, he introduced bipartisan legislation to limit tax breaks for large mergers.
In 2021, the senator even called for tax increases on corporations as the business leader planned to respond to changes in voting laws in Republican states.
LGBTQ rights
When Vance ran for Senate, he said he would oppose legislation that would grant gay couples the right to marry.
He said the “religious freedom part” of this is very bad, according to Mission America.
Childcare
Before running for Senate, Vance wrote that universal child care is a “massive subsidy for the lifestyle preferences of the wealthy.”‘beyond the preferences of the middle class and the working class.’