While nothing is final until it is final in former President Donald Trump’s world, there are some signs emerging that freshman Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) might end up being Trump’s running mate — and if he is, that would be a historic moment both for veterans and young voters.
Vance, 39, served in the Marines in a combat zone during the Iraq War and would be the first-ever Marine veteran on a presidential ticket of a major party. Given Democrat President Joe Biden’s insistence upon continually using the “suckers and losers” hoax against Trump — Biden did it in the debate and has continued to do it since then multiple times — selecting someone who actually served and saw combat as a Marine could annihilate that vicious lie easily. What is more, given that Vance would be the first millennial on a presidential ticket if he were to be picked, Trump allies view such a pick as doubling down on and solidifying significant gains Trump is making with young voters, especially while Democrats are divided on what to do about their ticket after Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
“He would be both the first U.S. Marine and the first millennial on a presidential ticket in American history,” a Trump loyalist told Breitbart News on Friday. “His selection would truly be historic.”
There are some signs that Trump may be leaning toward Vance. First and foremost, prediction markets have swung big time Vance’s way in the last couple of days:
Secondly, Republican National Convention programming tentatively has Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., slated to speak right before whoever Trump picks as his running mate on Wednesday evening. It is on Wednesday evening in primetime next week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Convention that the vice presidential candidate will formally accept the nomination and address the nation. Trump Jr., a close ally of Vance, has made no secrets about his support for the young Ohio senator being his father’s running mate choice. So, the decision by Convention programmers to have Trump Jr. set to basically introduce the vice presidential pick is one of the many tea leaves emerging that Vance might be the guy:
Then, in addition to that, also tentatively scheduled to speak on Wednesday in primetime at the Convention is the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, Trent Conaway. Vance famously helped Trump organize his visit very early in the GOP presidential primary to East Palestine in the aftermath of the train derailment, and Trump beat Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg there. That moment has emerged as a critical example of Biden’s failures as president and how his government was so slow to respond to a crisis affecting the “forgotten man and woman” in America’s rust belt. So, Conaway’s tentative speaking slot on Wednesday at the Convention would be a tripling down by team Trump — and possibly running mate Vance — on that successful messaging and moment:
“This race will be won or lost in the rust belt, and Vance is by far the best messenger to the blue-collar voters Trump needs to win in those states,” the Trump loyalist told Breitbart News. “His unique and heroic life story of coming from poverty and a broken home, with a mother who struggled with drug addiction to becoming a Marine, a Yale Law graduate, a best-selling author, successful businessman, and a U.S. Senator makes him the biggest threat to Democrats electorally of any of the VP contenders. They’re terrified of running against someone who can appeal to working-class and poverty-stricken voters the way he can.”
A second Trump loyalist familiar with the various possible vice presidential candidates told Breitbart News that it is particularly revealing that Trump’s adversaries are attacking Vance and promoting the other possible selections in recent weeks.
“[Vance is] the most ideologically aligned of any of the contenders and the only one of the three options who would truly carry on the America First movement into the future and not let it be subverted by Karl Rove and the establishment Bush wing of the party,” the second Trump loyalist told Breitbart News. “That’s why you see Karl Rove, Rupert Murdoch, Matt Drudge, and the rest of the anti-Trump establishment desperately smearing him and promoting either Burgum or Rubio.”
This second source also emphasized Vance’s strong fundraising work for Trump and his ties in Silicon Valley. “He is also someone at 39 years old who made himself a massive success in the business world at a young age,” the second Trump loyalist said. “The relationships he built in Silicon Valley and in the crypto space during his business career are a big reason why he has become such a fundraising juggernaut for Trump over the past year.”
A third person familiar with the process said that Vance’s regular appearances on television defending Trump and his agenda — Vance routinely runs circles around even the most aggressive interviewers — have played a massive role in getting him to this point in the selection process. His debate performances, too, in Ohio — both in the GOP primary in 2022 and in the general election — are also, per this source, strong selling points.
Trump is set to hold a rally on Saturday evening in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the heart of working class rust belt territory and right over the line from Vance’s Ohio. While the former president has not yet made a final decision or announced anything, a decision is imminent because the Convention begins on Monday, and delegates in Milwaukee will begin the process of formally nominating the presidential and vice presidential candidates, so one would think a decision is coming by then.
Editor’s Note: This article was amended to note that Vance served in the Marines in a combat zone during the Iraq War.