Beverly Aikins, JD Vance's mom, celebrates birthday, sobriety at inauguration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Beverly Aikins, Vice President-elect JD Vance's mom, has a lot to celebrate this inaugural weekend.
Aikins spoke at Ohio's inaugural ball Sunday night. While the crowd waited for Vance to arrive, Aikins said how proud she is of her son, according to Butler County Auditor Nancy Nix, who attended the event.
Sunday also marked Aikins' 10-year anniversary of sobriety, and on Monday she celebrates her 64th birthday. During his speech at the Republican National Convention in July, Vance said he hoped he could celebrate his mom's sobriety milestone with her in the White House if he and President-elect Donald Trump won. Vance wrote about growing up in Middletown and his mom's substance use in his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy."
Aikins still lives in Middletown. In a Facebook post, she said she traveled to Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the inauguration, despite having surgery just weeks earlier.
"My recovery is slow, but I have an inauguration to attend on January 20," her post read. "Nothing will stop me from being there... My baby is being inaugurated as our next Vice President."
Aikins made her debut at the Republican National Convention and also attended Vance's first solo vice presidential rally in Middletown. She was portrayed by Amy Adams in Netflix's adaptation of "Hillbilly Elegy."