MILWAUKEE--Donald Trump chose Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance to be his vice presidential running mate, as the Republican Party officially nominated the former president to run again for the White House on Monday at the start of the party's national convention in Milwaukee.
"After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The four-day convention opened in downtown Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum two days after Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, and hours after he secured a major legal victory when a federal judge dismissed one of Trump's criminal prosecutions. Senator Tim Scott, who briefly ran against Trump for the nomination, said divine intervention spared Trump's life. "Our God still saves," Scott said. "He still delivers and he still sets free. Because on Saturday the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared!"" During the evening session, one speaker after another blamed Democratic President Joe Biden's economic policies for inflation that has kept prices higher, even as it has eased sharply since peaking in June 2022 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump is due to formally accept the party's nomination in a prime-time speech on Thursday and will challenge Biden in the Nov. 5 election. Vance, 39, was a fierce Trump critic in 2016 but has since become one of the former president's staunchest defenders, embracing his false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud. Soon after Trump's afternoon announcement, Vance emerged on the convention floor with his wife Usha, shaking hands with and hugging delegates who swarmed the couple. He is scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday. Vance is deeply popular with Trump's core supporters, but it remains to be seen whether he can broaden the ticket's appeal. He shares Trump's aggressive approach to politics, and his conservative statements on issues such as abortion could turn off moderate voters.
