Ohio Sen. JD Vance accepts Republican vice-presidential nomination: Speech highlights
Ohio Sen. JD Vance accepted the vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night.
Former President Donald Trump said he chose the Cincinnati Republican as his running mate because he "will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for," referencing workers in key Rust Belt states.
See a recap of Wednesday's events:
Vance celebrates key swing states in acceptance speech
Vance formally accepted his nomination as the GOP vice-presidential candidate Wednesday. In his address, the conservative senator said the moment is "about all of us," including in the key swing states Republicans are hoping Vance will help attract as VP pick.
“It’s about the auto worker in Michigan, wondering why out of touch politicians are destroying your jobs,” Vance said. “It’s about the factory worker in Wisconsin, who makes things with their hands and is proud of American craftsmanship.”
“It’s about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio,” he continued, “who doesn’t understand why Joe Biden is willing to buy energy from tinpot dictators across the world when he could buy it from his own citizens right here in our own country.”
'A night of hope': JD Vance accepts GOP vice president nomination. Read his RNC speech.
Vance also applauded his mom during his address, who struggled with substance use but has now been sober for 10 years. The crowd broke into chants of "JD's mom."
− Savannah Kuchar
JD Vance officially accepts vice-presidential nomination
In his speech to convention attendees, Vance discussed growing up in Middleton, Ohio, where people “spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, family, community, and country with their whole hearts.”
“But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington,” Vance said, criticizing Joe Biden's handling of NAFTA, America's relationship with China and the invasion of Iraq when he served in the Senate.
RNC Day 3 takeaways: JD Vance accepts baton as MAGA heir apparent
“Somehow, a real estate developer from New York by the name of Donald J. Trump was right on all of these issues while Biden was wrong. President Trump knew, even then, that we needed leaders who would put America first,” Vance said.
−Sudiksha Kochi
Is JD Vance a vegetarian?
Usha Vance said her husband, JD, is a "meat and potatoes" guy, but learned to cook vegetarian food for her. "He learned to cook food for my mother. Indian food."
Usha Vance introduces husband JD Vance ahead of VP nominee speech
Usha Vance, JD Vance's wife, introduced her husband ahead of his vice-presidential nominee acceptance speech and said she was initially “at a loss” for what to say.
The vice president nominee’s spouse went on to describe how the pair met at law school.
“He was then, as now, the most interesting person I knew,” she said, ahead of JD Vance’s entrance on stage.
− Savannah Kuchar
Ron Howard movie about JD Vance
When Usha Vance introduced her husband, she made reference to the movie "Hillbilly Elegy" based on his memoir.
“What could I say that hasn’t already been said before?” Usha Vance said. “After all, the man was already the subject of a Ron Howard movie.” Vance's bestselling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy" was turned into a film.
JD Vance speech excerpts: Focus on family, Rust Belt issues
Vance will begin his speech tonight by crediting Trump with his response to last weekend's assassination attempt and calling for unity − a message that's been hammered throughout the convention this week.
"Even in his most perilous moment, we were on his mind," Vance is expected to say, according to excerpts released before his speech. "His instinct was for us. To call us to something higher. To something greater. To once again be citizens who ask what our country needs of us."
From there, Vance will tie his life to the Trump campaign's efforts to appeal to Rust Belt voters. He plans to highlight some of the GOP's top issues, including immigration, domestic energy production and onshoring manufacturing jobs.
In a more personal moment, Vance will introduce his mother to the crowd, who is attending the convention and 10 years sober.
Biden campaign comes out swinging ahead of JD Vance's speech
President Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic National Committee went after Vance in a flurry of news releases before his speech.
DNC rapid response director Alex Floyd said Vance "pretends to be a populist" but instead "leaves hard-working Americans behind." The Biden campaign also pointed to the senator's past support of a national abortion ban.
“It's time to take JD Vance seriously when he says he 'certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally,'" Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said. "He is making it explicitly clear that he and Donald Trump will follow through on their Project 2025 plans and ban abortion nationwide if they win come November."
JD Vance to bring special guest tonight: His mom
CNN reported that JD Vance's mother, Beverly, will be a special guest tonight at the convention. Vance wrote about his childhood and his mother's battle with drug addiction in his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy."
Republican delegates anticipate JD Vance's speech
Ahead of Vance's speech Wednesday night, Republican delegates from outside Ohio were eager to hear from Trump's vice-presidential pick.
West Virginia state Sen. Jack Woodrum believes Vance aligns well with Trump, but he wanted to learn more about Vance and his vision for the vice presidency. Catherine Ernsky, an alternate delegate for Connecticut, applauded Vance's decision to visit the picket line during the United Auto Workers strike and said Vance will be loyal to Trump and the American people.
"He has everything we need to help President Trump turn America around," Ernsky said.
First ads out against JD Vance
The anti-Trump Lincoln Project dropped an ad Wednesday highlighting Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s past criticism of the former president.
The roughly 90-second spot, geofenced around the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee, features Donald Trump reading lyrics to “The Snake.” Trump has referred to the song during campaign events to illustrate his position on immigration.
Peppered throughout the ad are Vance’s comments about Trump during the 2016 election cycle, including interviews where he called Trump “noxious” and referred to himself as a “never Trump guy.”
Vance is now one of Trump’s closest allies and has said the former president proved him wrong.
JD Vance speech tonight to focus on his childhood
Vance, who lives in Cincinnati and grew up in Middletown, was expected to recount his life journey during his speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night, according to a source familiar with his prepared remarks − the first time millions of Americans will become acquainted with him.
Vance published his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" in 2016, right as former President Donald Trump was gaining popularity. A personal story of how one man climbed from Rust Belt Ohio to Yale Law School − and now the vice-presidential nomination.
Read more about his life story here.
JD Vance on Trump assassination attempt: 'I was pissed'
Vance talked about the attempted assassination against Trump as he spoke to supporters in Milwaukee Wednesday afternoon.
"I was pissed," Vance said. "As soon as I knew he was OK I felt relief and then I was like, 'I cannot believe an assassin tried to take down the president of the United States.' I was mad about it. Was he mad and angry? He called for national unity. He called for calm. He showed leadership."
Who is speaking tonight at the RNC? The Day 3 speaker list
Wednesday night's lineup of speakers at the RNC includes longtime Trump allies, U.S. House members, passed up vice-presidential picks and everyday Americans. The most anticipated speech of the night will come from Vance.
Others speaking tonight:
- Donald Trump Jr.
- East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway
- Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to Trump during his presidency
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
-Rebecca Morin, Paste BN
Donald Trump Jr: There's 'a very high chance' JD Vance could become president in 2028
With his ascension to the 2024 presidential ticket as Donald Trump’s running mate, Vance has vaulted into the role of heir-apparent of the MAGA movement and become an instant White House contender for 2028.
Donald Trump Jr. said the nomination means there’s "a very high chance" Vance could become president in 2028 if he and Trump win in November.
Was JD Vance a Marine? A look at the military record of Trump's VP pick
“(Vance is) the one guy in that movement that's a current politician that’s out there that actually, really speaks sort of to the ‘America First’ people,” he said at an event hosted by Axios Tuesday. “It isn’t like we’ll be right back to the establishment. … That's where our base is. That’s where the Republican Party is.”
Read more here on how Vance could be the Republican front-runner for 2028.
-Brianne Pfannenstiel, Paste BN
More: From 'America's Hitler' to 'a great president': JD Vance VP nomination in 11 cartoons
Who is Usha Vance?
Up until recently, Usha Vance worked as a litigator for a law firm based in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for the firm said she chose to leave in the wake of her husband’s vice-presidential nomination.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha Vance grew up in San Diego and met Vance when they both attended Yale Law School. She was a registered Democrat as of 2014, according to the New York Times.
Usha Vance has previously clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Times reported. The couple have three young children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.
– Sudiksha Kochi and Haley BeMiller
How to watch the movie 'Hillbilly Elegy'
The movie made about Vance's memoir has been getting more views on Netflix. Here's how to watch it.
What time does Donald Trump speak tonight?
Trump will deliver his keynote address on Thursday evening to wrap up the convention as delegates officially cast their votes to nominate him as the party's presidential candidate.
This story will be updated throughout the day today ahead of Vance's address.