Opposed to Democrat Tim Walz in the vice-presidential debate this Tuesday, October 1, Republican candidate JD Vance will have to make a strong impression. This Catholic father, formerly against Donald Trump, has become one of the rising figures of the American right.
He will be expected around the corner. Chosen on August 15 by Donald Trump as his running mate in his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, JD Vance will have to prove himself against Tim Walz, his rival and running mate designated by Democrat Kamala Harris, during the candidates’ debate for the vice-presidency of the United States, scheduled for Tuesday, October 1.
Before entering politics, JD Vance, 40, enjoyed success with an autobiographical work “Hillbilly Élégie”, published in 2016, in which he extensively discusses his education and childhood in Ohio. Ranked on the New York Times best-selling list, the Yale graduate’s book was seen as an explanation of the rightization of the white working class across the country.
It is through this success in bookstores that JD Vance was able to gradually enter the world of politics, until being named senator of Ohio in 2023.
A former opponent of Donald Trump who became one of his closest supporters
His nomination by Donald Trump as his running mate raised eyebrows, including within the Republican camp: the former member of the US Marine was a fervent opponent of Donald Trump. Openly criticizing the former president in 2016 and calling him a possible “Hitler of America”, he admitted hesitating to vote for Hillary Clinton in this election.
However, eight years later, it was alongside the former American president that JD Vance made his biggest breakthrough in politics. A breakthrough made possible thanks to the support of media personalities like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson, as well as the candidate’s eldest sons: Donald Junior and Eric Trump.
Since then, JD Vance has put himself forward with his numerous theories, in particular accusing Joe Biden of being responsible for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania due to “his rhetoric”. In the past, the running mate had already been critical of the current president, blaming him in the spread of fentanyl, which would aim to kill supporters of Donald Trump.
A historical debate
This follower of the theory of the great replacement, although mocked for having married Usha Chilikuri, an American lawyer of Indian origin met on the benches of the university, confided that his political ideas were inspired by Catholic theology.
A religion to which he converted in 2019 and with which he shares several positions, such as the ban on the right to abortion or same-sex marriage.
Greatly focused on the migration issue, particularly after having fueled rumors concerning dogs and cats eaten in his state of Ohio by Haitian migrants, JD Vance will be closely scrutinized in what is announced as “the vice-presidential debate the most important in the modern history of the United States”, less than 40 days before the presidential election.
