US election campaign - Trump selects J.D. Vance as Vice Presidential candidate
Donald Trump, the Republican former president, announced J.D. Vance as his running mate for the US Presidential election in November at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. According to Trump, Vance is the best choice. Vance will focus on workers and farmers in contested states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota during the campaign.
Vance gained success with his memoirs "Hillbilly Elegy." The bestseller provides insight into a segment of society that helped Trump win the 2016 election. Today, the 39-year-old author represents Ohio in the Senate. At the Munich Security Conference in February, he spoke as Trump's spokesperson and urged Germany to invest more in its military. However, he is not well-known in the broader American public.
Announcement at the Party Convention
The announcement was made by Trump shortly after the Republican Party nomination convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began. During the convention, the delegates were voting to make Trump the official candidate of their party for the November election.
The circumstances surrounding the gathering were dramatic. Trump was the target of an attack during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The attack during the campaign caused shock in the US and worldwide.
Trump intends to challenge Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in the Presidential election in early November. Biden will run with his current vice president Kamala Harris, but both candidates have low approval ratings. In recent weeks, Biden has faced criticism from within his own party regarding his mental fitness and suitability for the candidacy.
Mystery surrounding the Vice Presidential pick
Trump had kept the speculation about who he would choose as his running mate going for months. In US history, the name is usually announced shortly before the nomination convention. Trump waited until the convention was already underway to make his decision public. This is rather unconventional.
In the 2016 Presidential campaign, Trump had chosen Mike Pence, who particularly appealed to religious voters. After Trump's victory, Pence served loyally behind his boss for four years. The rift between the two came only after Pence refused to obstruct the formal confirmation of the election results in Congress and help Trump unfairly to victory. Pence later ran for the Republican Presidential nomination but dropped out early in the race.
The spotlight on the Vice Presidential candidates
The role of the Vice President is generally not an easy one: The duty of the Vice President is to praise and represent the politics of the President, while also setting their own accents without stealing the show, making mistakes, or glowing too much. Trump does not like to share the limelight or recognition with others.
In this election year, the focus is more than ever on the vice presidential candidates. The two candidates for the Presidency, Trump and Biden, are both in advanced age. Trump is 78, and Biden is 81, which would make him 82 at the start of a second term. And the Vice President stands in line for the highest office in the state in case the President dies or otherwise falls out.
Biden and Trump secured the necessary delegate count for their party nomination conventions early in their party primaries, where they will officially be designated as presidential candidates. The Republican National Convention is still running until Thursday. The Democrats will not come together for their party convention until August in Chicago.
- J.D. Vance, the author from Ohio, was chosen as Donald Trump's running mate for the US Presidential election in November, which will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- At the Republican Party convention, Vance was introduced as Trump's choice to focus on workers and farmers in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota.
- In a statement on Truth Social, Trump praised Vance as the best choice for the campaign, highlighting his success with "Hillbilly Elegy" and his current position in the Senate.
- Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference in February as Trump's representative, urging Germany to invest more in its military.
- Prior to the announcement, there was speculation about Trump's choice for a running mate, with the usual announcement happening shortly before the nomination convention.
- In an unconventional move, Trump waited until the convention was already underway to reveal Vance as his running mate, keeping the speculation going for months.
- In the 2016 Presidential election, Mike Pence was Trump's chosen running mate, appealing to religious voters and serving loyally as vice president for four years.
- After refusing to obstruct the formal confirmation of the election results in Congress, Pence and Trump had a falling out, with Pence later running for the Republican Presidential nomination.
- During the campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump was the target of an attack, causing shock and concern both in the US and abroad.
- In the US Election 2024, focus will be on both the presidential and vice presidential candidates, with Trump and Biden both having low approval ratings and advanced ages, meaning the vice president would stand in line for the presidency in case of a sudden vacancy.
