J.D. Vance: From Humble Beginnings to Trump’s Running Mate

A report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

Life smiled upon J.D. Vance, aged 39, when Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, chose him as his running mate. Vance's personal story is documented in his book, Hillbilly Elegy, published in 2016, which became a bestseller in the United States.

In the book, Vance narrates his upbringing in Ohio under impoverished conditions. He was raised by his grandmother due to his mother's struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. His life with his grandmother was not without difficult and harsh experiences for a child; for instance, he once witnessed his grandmother set his grandfather on fire because he was drinking alcohol.

After finishing high school, Vance joined the Marines and was deployed to Iraq, where he worked in public affairs. He later attended Ohio State University and then Yale Law School. After graduation, he worked for a businessman before founding his own venture capital firm.

Vance, who is married to a lawyer of Indian descent and has three children, entered politics in 2023 when he won a seat in the Senate. His life story was later adapted into a film on Netflix.

The changes in Vance's life also influenced his political views. He was initially a critic of Trump, voting against him in 2016 and once calling him an idiot. Vance is known for supporting cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, backing Israel, and promoting normalization with Arab countries.

 

He is also a vocal critic of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, foreign aid, and US military operations in the Middle East. Regarding Iran, Vance is a hawk, much like Trump, and a strong critic of the Iran nuclear deal.

 

The announcement of Vance as Donald Trump's running mate was criticized by President Joe Biden, who claimed that Trump and Vance aim to increase taxes on the middle class while reducing them for the wealthy, vowing that he would not allow that to happen.