Republican JD Vance comes from a simple American family with modest origins. He grew up amidst economic hardship in an industrial town in the state of Ohio. He then attended one of the best universities in the country and now takes on the role of vice president, one of the three youngest people to hold the position in American history. Voice of America correspondent Carolyn Presutti takes a look at his background.
Minutes after being elected vice president of the United States, JD Vance declared:
"After the greatest political comeback in American history, we will lead the greatest economic recovery in history, under the leadership of Donald Trump."
The national stage he has ascended to is far from the backstreets of the American heartland. The town of Jackson, Kentucky, is not where Mr. Vance was born. But he calls it home.
"When I proposed to my wife, I said, 'Honey, I come with $120,000 in debt from law school and a reserved plot in a cemetery in eastern Kentucky,'" Mr. Vance said during his campaign.
Mr. Vance's grandmother was called 'Mother'.
"He always came here with his grandmother. She would bring him up in the mountains so he could see what life was like, and it was obvious he loved it," says John Hollan, the sheriff of Breathitt County, Kentucky.
He was born in Middletown, Ohio, and was raised mostly by his strict grandmother, who often raised her voice and kept 19 loaded guns in the house.
Taking his stepfather's last name, JD Hamel won his first election. He also happened to be the vice president of his Middletown High School class. He served in the Marines and graduated with honors from Ohio State University.
He then continued his studies at Yale University, where he met fellow student Usha Chilukuri – his future wife.
Mr. Vance rose to national prominence with his best-selling 2016 book about working-class America, which was later made into a film called “Hillbilly Elegy.” In the film, actress Glenn Close plays his strict grandmother.
"You're the one who has to decide whether you want to become someone or not?" she tells him in the film.
With the support of former President Donald Trump, the Kentucky-loving Ohioan was elected as a senator from Ohio. And just two years later, it was announced that Mr. Trump had chosen him to run for vice president of the United States. Mr. Vance had a rocky start, however, having previously called Mr. Trump “a scoundrel” and declared that he “would never be a supporter of his.”
Later, while running for vice president, Mr. Vance's policies mirrored those of Mr. Trump. And he gave this answer when asked if "the former president had lost the 2020 election?":
"No, I think there are serious problems with 2020. So, answering the question, did Donald Trump lose the election? No, I would say."
Mr. Vance has a tough approach towards China and East Asia, opposes military aid to Ukraine and... when asked about the Israel-Hamas conflict, he said:
"Kamala Harris, on the one hand, says she is genuinely concerned about civilian casualties. And yet, she refuses to give Israel the weapons that enable it to minimize civilian casualties."
At 40 years old, Mr. Vance will be the third-youngest vice president in American history. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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