Ohio Senator J.D. Vance formally accepted the nomination as the Republican Party's vice-presidential candidate alongside Donald Trump and called for ‘unity to win’ the November presidential election.
Vance, 39 years old and in his first term as a senator, presented himself to the country on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he explained how he went from a strong critic of Donald Trump to one of his biggest supporters.
"I officially accept the nomination for Vice President of the United States of America," said Vance, addressing Trump, who gave him a standing ovation.
"I will never take for granted the trust you placed in me. What an honor to help you realize the extraordinary vision you have for the country. I promise all Americans, regardless of party, that I will give everything to serve you," he added.
Under the watchful eye of the former president, the politician, relatively unknown to the public, shared his success story with Americans, from a difficult childhood in a poor family, with a mother addicted to drugs and an absent father, until he became become senator in 2022.
"Tonight is a night of hope. A celebration of what America once was, with the grace of God, and what it will soon be again," said the senator, opening his speech, after being introduced on stage by his wife , Usha Vance, daughter of Indian immigrants and who met her husband at Yale Law School, which they both attended.
Applauded by the cheering crowd that repeated her name, Vance called for "unity to win" the election and admitted he never imagined being in this position.
The vice-presidential candidate, who also served in the US Marine Corps, attacked the policies of the current President, Joe Biden, arguing that they harm the most needy communities, like the one where he grew up in Ohio.
J. D. Vance then promised to defend the interests of the working class instead of the interests of Wall Street, in a reference to the American financial markets, if the Republican Party returns to the White House, accusing Biden of having made the USA "weaker and poorer" .
"The importation of foreign labor is over. We will fight for American citizens, for jobs and for wages," he assured.
Vance argued that the country needs a leader who "responds to the worker, union and non-union" and who fights to bring factories back to the country, assessing that this leader is Trump.
"Somehow a New York City real estate businessman named Donald J. Trump was right on every issue, while Biden was wrong," he added.
The senator, who thanked Trump for not giving up on politics, argued that the former president created "the best economy in history for workers" and asked the public to imagine what he will do if he gets four more years in the White House.
J. D. Vance, this controversial Republican senator, was not always a fan of Donald Trump, who even compared him to Adolfo Hitler, something that the former president makes a point of remembering.
But this former soldier, known for having published a best-selling memoir, only recently entered politics.
Vance was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has become one of the staunchest supporters of Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda, particularly on relational issues with trade, foreign policy and immigration.
During his speech at the convention, J. D. Vance also spoke about his mother's struggle, which he watched in the convention's VIP box, close to Trump, against drug addiction and celebrated being "10 years sober."
"Our movement is about single mothers like mine, who had problems with money and addiction, but never gave up. And I'm proud to say that my mother is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you mom", declared.
Before the senator, Donald Trump Jr, son of the former president and friend of Vance, took the stage at the Convention and praised his father's choice for vice president.
"No matter who you are, you can be part of this movement to Make America Great Again. Look at me and my friend J.D. Vance: he's a boy from Appalachia and I'm from Trump Tower in Manhattan. We grew up worlds apart , but now we both fight side by side to save the country we love", he noted.
"And by the way, J.D. Vance will make a great vice president," he said.
The third and penultimate day of the Republican National Convention, which ends today, was also marked by the presence of family members of 13 US Marines killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago, who argued that they had been forgotten by Biden, but supported by Trump.
In the audience, some of the convention participants wore bandages on their right ears, just like Donald Trump, who appeared at the event with the same type of bandage after the assassination attempt he suffered on Saturday, at a rally in Pennsylvania.
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