US election 2024: Who is the potential future Vice President JD Vance?

The once Trump critic turned loyalist could become the next vice president. But who is he? ITV News’ Charlie Frost explains
Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance could become the next vice president if the Republicans win in the 2024 US election.
In July, the former president announced Ohio Senator JD Vance will be his running mate.
Vance will likely become the immediate front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination four years from now, if Trump were to win a second term, the constitutional limit.
Despite being a Trump loyalist now, Vance hasn’t always had nice things to say about him. He has previously called Trump “a total fraud” and “America’s Hitler”.
But who is JD Vance?
After rising to national prominence following the release of his bestselling memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ Vance has held office of Ohio Senator for less that two years.
The former venture capitalist established himself as one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) agenda, especially when it comes to foreign policy, trade and immigration.
Despite his early criticism of Trump, Vance has become personally close with the former president and his son Donald Trump Jr, who has talked up the senator.
At 40, Vance would inject a younger face into a race that features Biden at 81 and Trump at 78.
But Vance faced criticism in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump in July for a post on X that suggested President Joe Biden was to blame for the violence.
“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Why did Vance criticise Trump in the past?
The relationship between Vance and Trump has been symbiotic.
Vance’s fame grew in tandem with Trump’s unlikely rise from a reality television star to Republican presidential nominee and eventually president. During the early stages of Trump’s political career, Vance cast him as “a total fraud,” “a moral disaster” and “America’s Hitler.”
But like many Republicans who sought relevance in the Trump era, Vance eventually shifted his tone. He said he was proven wrong by Trump’s performance in office and evolved into one of his most steadfast defenders.
Vance is now a Trump loyalist who has challenged the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions and civil verdicts against him, and questions the results of the 2020 election.
Why is Trump’s choice of running mate important?
Vance is under immense pressure from Trump and his allies to show loyalty at all times.
Trump turned on his first vice president, Mike Pence, after Pence rebuffed his boss’ efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, based on false theories promoted by the then-president after his loss to Biden.
Pence has declined to endorse Trump this time around.
Trump’s choice looks to hold more gravity than before after multiple assassination attempts in recent months.
In July, a bullet tore through Trump’s ear after a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Of the incident, Trump said: “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead”.
In September, a man was charged following an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump whilst he was at his golf course in Florida.
A man carrying a shotgun and loaded handgun was also arrested outside Trump’s rally in Coachella, California, earlier in October.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that choosing someone who was qualified to take over as commander in chief was his top consideration for the role.
What is his stance on key issues?
JD Vance has been a reliable Conservative vote in the Senate and is a strong defender of Trump’s policies.
When it comes to Ukraine, Vance is the leading opponent of US aid to the country. He’s said defence against China should be a much bigger priority instead.
He’s previously been strongly anti abortion, even in cases of rape. In 2022 he said he would support a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks. This view has softened in order to match Trump’s viewpoint, and now he says that it should be up to individual states to decide.
Vance is also anti immigration; he’s championed Trump’s viewpoint on building a wall on Mexico’s border and deporting illegal immigrants.
What has Vance said about the UK?
Speaking at the National Conservatism conference in July, Vance asked: “What is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon? Maybe it’s actually the UK, since Labour just took over.”
Labour’s Deputy PM Angela Rayner dismissed the comments by Vance, saying “he said quite a lot of fruity things in the past.”
“I don’t recognise that characterisation”, Rayner told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
The Deputy PM said: “I’m very proud of the election success that Labour had recently. We won votes across all different communities, across the whole of the country.”
Rayner added: “I look forward to that meeting if that is the result. It’s up to the American people to decide.”
Want an expert briefing on US politics and the presidential race? Listen to our latest podcast Talking Politics USA.