J.D. Vance once told a friend he thought Trump could be America's Hitler - now he's Trump's running mate. Video edit by Alyse Wright. Video / NZ Herald, Getty Images
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J.D. Vance once told a friend he thought Trump could be America's Hitler - now he's Trump's running mate. Video edit by Alyse Wright. Video / NZ Herald, Getty Images
NOW PLAYING • Who is J.D.Vance?
J.D. Vance once told a friend he thought Trump could be America's Hitler - now he's Trump's running mate. Video edit by Alyse Wright. Video / NZ Herald, Getty Images
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Donald Trump’s pick for US vice-president has given a stirring speech at the Republican convention, accepting the nomination to run as Trump’s deputy and saying the party is “united to win” the upcoming presidential election.
Last week, Senator JD Vance was in the Senate, voting against Joe Biden nominees, one to become a judge on the US Court of Federal Claims and another to become a member of the Federal Labour Relations Authority.
Today, he has delivered a prime-time speech as Trump’s vice-presidential pick, the most consequential moment of the 39-year-old freshman senator’s political career. It will cap a whirlwind week.
Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate for Vice President, will deliver a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention around 2:30pm NZT.
Vance was named as Trump's VP candidate earlier this week.
'Send them back': Crowd roars approval to halt immigrants
“[Trump] created the best economy in history for workers.
“And just imagine what he’s going to do when we give him four more years.
The crowd erupted into "four more years, four more years".
Vance said “the absurd cost of housing” was due to “Wall St barrens” who crashed the economy, putting builders out of business, and then went on to blame Democratic Party governments for “flooding” the US with immigrants.
“Send them back,” the crowd roared.
“But ladies and gentlemen, this is not the end of our story. Let me tell you about the future. President Trump’s vision … [will see us] done buying energy from other countries, we’re going to build factories again. Together, we will protect the wages of American workers.
“Together we will make sure our allies share in the burden of securing world peace. No more free rides.
“We will send our kids to war only when we must. But when we punch, we’re going to punch hard.
“We will put the citizens of America first.
“One of the things you hear people say sometimes is that America is an idea. But America is not just an idea. It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future.
“It is part of that tradition that we allow newcomers. But when we allow newcomers to our family we do so on our terms.
“Never forget, the reason why this united Republican Party exists, is because we want this nation to thrive for centuries to come.
“The most important thing we can do for the American nation that we love is reelect Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.
“Mr President, I pledge to every American, I will give you everything I have.
“I promise you one more thing, I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” referencing his humble beginnings."
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18 July, 03:12 am
JD Vance praises Trump's vision for America
He told a story of his grandmother, who helped raised him. He then spoke of his enlistment to the US Marine Corps.
Vance continued: “We need a leader who is not in the pocket of big business, but who answers to the working man.
"We need President Donald J. Trump.
“The Amercan dream that always mattered most was becoming a good husband and a good dad. I wanted to give my kids the things I didn’t have when I was growing up.
“Things did not work out well for a lot of the kids I grew up with.
He spoke of people he knew who had died from drug overdoses.
“The people who govern this country have failed, and failed again. That is of course until a guy named Donald J. Trump came along.
“My fellow Americans, this moment is not about me. It’s about all of us. It’s about who we’re fighting for. It’s about the automaker in Michigan, it’s about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
“You guys are a great crowd,” he said after more chants. The crowd then began, “yes we are”.
“Our movement is about single mums like mine," Vance said.
Then for 30 seconds, the crowd chanted "JD's mum, JD's mum".
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18 July, 03:03 am
“He is the man who is feared by America’s advisories.
“But tonight, we celebrate, he is our once and future President of the United States of America.
“My message to you, my fellow Republicans, is: We love this country and we are united to win.
“I think our disagreements make us stronger. Shouldn’t we be governed by a party that is willing to debate and come to a solution? That’s the Republican party of the next four years.
“Tonight, I stand here humbled. I officially accept your nomination to become the next vice president of these united states of America
He criticised the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), and Joe Biden's support for it.
The crowd burst into a chant: "Joe must go, Joe must go..."
“President Trump knew, even then, we needed leaders who would put America first.
Nafta was signed by the US, Canada and Mexico in 1992.
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18 July, 02:52 am
Running mate JD Vance introduced to stage
Donald Trump’s running mate, vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, has been introduced to the stage following a photo montage of his life.
Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, introduced him to the convention. She said she and her husband embodied the American dream.
Vance walked out to a faux-country campaign song, replete with a guitar twang.
“My name is JD Vance, from the great state of Ohio.
“Tonight is a night of hope, a celebration of what America once was, and with God’s grace, what it soon will be again.
“It is a reminder of the sacred duty we have to preserve the American experiment.
“For the last eight years President Trump has given everything he can for the country. He didn’t need politics, but the country needed him.
“I want all Americans to go and watch the video of the would-be assassin coming a quarter of an inch from taking [Trump’s] life.
“What did he call us to do for our country? To fight, to fight for America. Even in his most perilous moment, his country was on his mind.
“Now consider what they said, they said he was a tyrant. But what did he say? He called for unity, right after an assassin tried to take his life.
“Then President Trump got back to Milwaukee and got back to work. That’s the man I’ve got to know personally over the last few years.
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18 July, 02:40 am
'Make America great once again': Trump jnr
“I don’t believe in coincidences, but I do believe in God’s plan.
“My father didn’t have to run for reelection this year. He has the money, the fame. But he knew he had to run if there was any chance of saving America. He’s not doing it for himself. He’s doing it for everyone here tonight, everyone watching from home.
“No matter who you are, you can be a part of this movement to make America great again.
“By the way, JD Vance is going to make one hell of a Vice President.
The crowd then started chanting "JD, JD, JD".
“Most of the beaurecrats who rule over us have never built anything in their lives. It’s time to build something real, something tangible. That’s my father’s mission.
“This November, we have a choice. A choice between people who are proud of America, and people who are ashamed of America. And ultimately, it’s a choice between America last and America first.
“You must re-elect my father Donald J. Trump. Together we will make America great once again. Thank you, Wisconsin."
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18 July, 02:37 am
Trump Jr criticised drag shows and sexual education in schools: “It’s like the entire world has been turned upside down.”
“Whoever is running the show, the only thing they’re good at is persecuting my father.
“There was a time when the Democrats really wanted what was best for America, they just had a different way of getting there. But this new, extreme Democrat party, they want us to somehow believe the only way forward is going backwards.
“We can’t live on nostalgia. Yes, America was great. But our greatest days are yet to come.
“We will fight with out vote.
“I’ve never been prouder than my father than in that moment [when he was shot]. That was when the world found out there is tough, and there is Trump-tough. And the good news is America is Trump-tough.
The crowd erupted into cheers and chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump".
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18 July, 02:28 am
'Bumbling Biden': Trump jnr criticises President
“In that moment, my father didn’t just show his character. He showed America’s character.
“We saw a spirit that could never be broken.
“Long before the attempt on my father’s life, people were anxious.
“They saw our leaders didn’t care. And the lies - we won’t ever forget the lies.
“They lied about Russian collusion, they lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop, they lied about [Joe] Biden’s fitness to run for office.
“And they told one non-stop lie after another about my father. But they could only run from reality for so long. All hell has broken loose in America. Remember build back better? Instead, we got broke, bumbling Biden. Nothing has been built, nothing is back, and nothing is better.
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18 July, 02:18 am
Trump Jr takes the stage with daughter
United States presidential candidate Donald Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump jnr has taken the stage at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Trump jnr then introduced his daughter, Trump's grandaughter, to speak.
Trump jnr said: “I got a call on Monday morning from a young lady, who said, ‘Dad, I want to speak at the RNC'.
“‘I want to speak at the RNC because I want America to know what my grandpa is really like’.
Kai Trump said she wanted to share the side of Trump people do not usually see.
“He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask me how my golf game is going, and to tell me about his,” she said.
“Even when he’s going through all these court cases, he always asks me how I’m doing,” she said.
“On Saturday, I was shocked when I heard that he has been shot. And I just wanted to know that he was okay. It was heartbreaking that someone would do that to another person. A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell, and he’s still standing.
Her grandfather, Trump, was watching on smiling.
Her father Trump jr returned, saying there had been a lot of proud moments for his family this week.
Since Vance became Trump’s pick this week, he has spent time writing his acceptance speech, which focuses heavily on his personal biography and how it ties to Trump’s “America First” movement, according to a person familiar with Vance’s plans.
Vance has otherwise kept a relatively low profile, but signs of the rapid transition from senator to running mate are evident.
In a Tuesday morning walk with his family to Walgreens, he was flanked by his new security detail. He took a prominent seat next to Trump in the former president’s convention box Monday and Tuesday night. And he’s done a walk-through of the convention floor, where he saw his friend Donald Trump jnr as they both prepare for their respective Wednesday night speeches.
The ensuing changes to Vance’s day-to-day routine are familiar to those who have experienced the transition from member of Congress to vice-presidential candidate. Al Gore got a call from then Democratic candidate Bill Clinton just a few days before the 1992 Democratic National Convention while at his farm in Tennessee, according to Roy Neel, Gore’s chief of staff in his Senate and vice-presidential offices. By 5am the next day, Gore was on his way to Little Rock and “everything changed”.
“It was a whole different world. It was going to the Senate, which was a fairly predictable and in many respects a slow-moving operation to just almost chaos every day,” Neel said. “Suddenly your entire schedule, your work plan, your travel all becomes a part and a subordinate to a different larger operation. In the Senate, you’re pretty much an island unto yourself.”
Vance’s nomination to the vice presidency also comes during an unprecedented presidential election: Trump on Sunday (NZT) faced an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally; the Democratic Party is still debating whether President Biden should even be the party’s nominee amid questions about his mental acuity; and a former President and incumbent President are running against one another.
For all of Trump’s unpredictability, Vance was seen by many in Republican circles as his likely pick. Yet Trump kept the suspense going almost as long as possible before Vance was officially nominated to the ticket.
At 2.04pm Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention, it was official: Vance became the latest senator to be chosen as a running mate. (Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden and Gore were all previously US senators before being selected as running mates.)
The Trump campaign had already hired an operations director for the running mate before the official announcement and Trump’s communications team is working with Vance’s team amid the transition, according to the person familiar with the dynamics. Vance’s campaign plane has a decal ready, but it’s not in Milwaukee.
Senator J.D. Vance greets delegates as he accepts the nomination for Vice President during the Republican National Convention on Monday in Milwaukee. Photo / Joshua Lott, The Washington Post
Shortly after the announcement, Vance appeared on the convention floor with his wife Usha by his side. He shook hands with delegates as he approached the stage, and stood next to his friend, US Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, as Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted made his nomination official.
On Tuesday afternoon, the media and public got another brief glimpse of Vance when he visited the convention hall to practice his entrance onstage ahead of his Wednesday speech. Surrounded by a phalanx of staff and Secret Service agents, Vance looked around at the growing mass of media below him on the floor and ignored shouted questions about how he was feeling and his preparedness for the job.
Jake Kastan, who was a personal aide to former vice-presidential candidate Paul D. Ryan, said among the biggest adjustments to being named a running mate was the change in routine.
“Paul D. Ryan described it as being shot out of a cannon,” Kastan recalled. “You’re going from a routine day-to-day in the Capitol as a congressman to on many days visiting three different cities for four to five different events, fundraisers, rallies. Your schedule is so packed to 15-minute increments, so just that pace is quite exhilarating and a pretty big change from Congress.”
During the walk-through on Tuesday, Vance spoke with a convention staffer out of earshot of the press, smiling for the cameras. His smile grew when his friend and running mate’s son Donald Trump jnr walked up to him. The two hugged, and Vance jokingly asked whether anyone other than the journalists gathered below the stage to see him would show up for his speech.
Hours later, he was back on the convention floor, shaking hands and smiling. He greeted Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Trump’s box. He also spoke to former New York Representative Lee Zeldin and Senator Rick Scott as they waited for Trump to arrive.
A former Trump critic and now staunch ally, Vance rose to prominence in 2016 after writing the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, about growing up in a steel mill community in Ohio in a family beset by drug addiction and poverty.
He served in the Marines, went to Yale Law School, worked in business and is now a US Senator. Many Republicans viewed Trump’s decision to pick Vance as a sign he would be the former President’s successor, given that Trump can only serve one term. Yet Vance is one of the least experienced major party running mates in decades and has undergone a significantly rapid rise from becoming a freshman senator two years ago, said Joel Goldstein, an expert on the vice presidency and professor at St. Louis University School of Law.
“Being selected for a national ticket transforms someone’s life,” Goldstein said. “The fact that he’s historically inexperienced is noteworthy.”
