Trump confirms his candidacy and chooses JD Vance as his running mate

US presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on Monday (15) Ohio senator, Republican James David Vance as vice president on the far-right ticket running in the November elections this year.

The announcement comes two days after the attempted assassination of the former president in Pennsylvania and in the midst of the Republican National Convention, which began this Monday (15) in Milwaukee, the main city in Wisconsin, in the midwest of the United States.

As expected, Trump was also confirmed by the Republican convention as the candidate for the White House.

“After much deliberation and reflection, and considering the enormous talents of many others, I have decided that the most suitable person to assume the office of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great State of Ohio,” Trump announced on his social media account, Social Truth, during the opening of the convention.

“JD has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now during the campaign he will focus heavily on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American workers and farmers of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and beyond,” Trump added.

Although Trump’s election campaign signaled a softening of rhetoric, Vance’s choice is an indication that the Republican’s entourage will continue to push the political debate towards extremism.

The now-vice presidential candidate directly blamed the shooting on the rhetoric of President Biden and his campaign, even as even Trump and his campaign have called for unity.

The Ohio senator was once a vocal critic of Trump, at one point calling him “reprehensible” and a “cultural hero.” But over time, Vance won the former president’s endorsement in his 2022 Senate bid by embracing the false and fraudulent narrative that Biden’s 2020 election was stolen. His endorsement of the narrative put him ahead in a crowded race and ultimately led to his Senate bid.

Vance was the youngest alternative among the candidates considered by Trump. He quickly became one of the former president’s leading defenders in the halls of Congress and on television, following Trump’s lead while often contradicting the priorities of Senator Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican leader of the House.