Meet J.D. Vance, the Donald Trump hater turned potential VP: the Ohio senator once called the presidential hopeful ‘America’s Hitler’ – and wrote the book that Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy is based on

May 22 , 2024

Republican Senator JD Vance speaks at a rally in Delaware, Ohio, in April 2023. Photo: AP Photo

Vance has flip-flopped on his politics to become a potential candidate for Donald Trump’s vice-president in the November elections, loudly defending him during his hush-money trial

Along the way, he was a marine, graduated from Yale Law School, married his university sweetheart, and wrote a bestselling book about his coming-of-age experience that became a much-discussed Netflix film

You may have seen him in the media making appearances around former US president Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York, but just who is J.D. Vance? The incumbent junior senator from Ohio could potentially become the next American vice-president if Republican nominee Trump manages to win back the Oval Office in November.

J.D. Vance with former US president Donald Trump at a rally in Ohio, in April 2022. Photo: AP Photo

According to his official website, Vance is a former marine who served in Iraq, a Yale Law School graduate, and the respected author of a book that was turned into a much-talked-about Netflix film, Hillbilly Elegy.

But he’s also the product of a turbulent family home who was largely raised by a “blue dog Democrat” grandmother, as his bio on the US Senate website puts it, and a politician known for making a rather notorious about-face when it comes to his stances.

Here’s what to know about the potential future vice-president.

What is J.D. Vance’s connection to Donald Trump?

Vance, 39, may be just one potential Trump VP – but he’s made sure that everyone knows the former president has his full support as Trump faces the toughest legal challenge of his political career in his hush-money trial. Vance has been part of Trump’s court squad, attacking witnesses like former Trump supporter Michael D. Cohen on social media ahead of Cohen’s court appearance, per The New York Times. Outside the courthouse, Vance claimed that every person on the prosecution involved in the case was “practically a Democratic operative”.

J.D. Vance with his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, at an election night event in Ohio, in May 2022. Photo: Bloomberg

The outspoken Vance is just one of Trump’s potential VP options, according to the same publication, with the Republican presidential nominee apparently prompting potential candidates to attend court sessions, give interviews and join his campaign trail as a “test” of their dedication.

Did J.D. Vance always support Donald Trump?

J.D. Vance joins senator Tommy Tuberville and representative Nicole Malliotakis to speak to the media in New York City last week. Photo: Getty Images

But don’t be fooled by Vance’s current outspoken support for Trump – the senator actually made a sharp U-turn in his politics. Just a few years ago, in 2016, he called Trump “America’s Hitler” in a Facebook private message, according to New York Magazine. Rolling Stone also reported on how Vance once compared Trump to an opioid, saying that he was an “easy escape from the pain” in 2017.