About

James David Vance or J. D. Vance is an American politician, Republican and lawyer serving as a the Vice President of the United States. In July 2024, J. D. Vance was picked by former President Donald Trump as his running mate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Following his selection as Trump's VP, media coverage, discourse, memes and other posts notably increased online surrounding Vance, particularly over comments he made about Trump in years prior and vice versa.

History

J. D. Vance was born on August 2nd, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio. After graduating from public school in his hometown, Vance enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a combat correspondent. He later studied at Ohio State University, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy. He later attended Yale Law School, from which he graduated in 2013.^[1]

Prior to his political career, J. D. Vance worked in the tech industry and investment management. In 2016, Vance published a memoir titled Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, which became a bestseller and was adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard.

In 2022, Vance won the U.S. Senate election in Ohio, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan.

On July 15th, 2024, presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump selected^[2] Vance as his running mate for the 2024 United States presidential election.

Donald Trump's Running Mate Announcement Reactions

The announcement of J. D. Vance as Trump's VP was followed by viral discussions regarding Vance and various memes about him. For example, on July 15th, 2024, X^[3] user @keithboykin posted a clip from a past Fox News broadcast that reviewed comments about Donald Trump made by Vance in the past, including "terrible candidate," "idiot if you voted for him" and "might be America's Hitler." The video (shown below) received over 1.3 million views, 7,300 reposts and 17,000 likes in one day.

JD Vance, who called Trump “America’s Hitler” and a “cynical asshole,” and said that any American would have to be an “idiot” to vote for him, has been selected as Trump’s running mate. pic.twitter.com/ZbpWhuQRga

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 15, 2024

Numerous memes comparing Vance to various people and characters spread online in the hours following the announcement on July 15th. For instance, X^[4] user @greg16676935420 posted a photograph of actor Zach Galifianakis with the caption, "Congrats to JD Vance on being chosen as the running mate for Donald Trump," with the post (shown below, left) garnering over 700 reposts and 21,000 likes in one day.

Also that day, X^[5] user @CantEverDie made a post critical of Trump's running mate choice that received over 2,600 reposts and 47,000 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Reputation

J. D. Vance is a stern anti-abortionist and an opponent of aid to Ukraine. He previously voted against legislation to codify abortion rights and restore the protections of the Roe v. Wade case. He also rejected calls for tougher gun laws. He has been a critic of big tech and invested in Rumble, a website that is regarded as a right-wing alternative to YouTube.^[6][7]

Personal Life

J. D. Vance is married to his former law school classmate Usha Chillakuru, with whom he has three children. Born in a Protestant family, Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019.

Search Interest

External References