Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said JD Vance needs to use his speech tonight to sell his compelling personal story to voters.
“I think most people don’t know him, to be honest,” Lewandowski told DailyMail.com.
“He’s an example of an American success who grew up in absolute poverty,” the political operator continued. “Twenty years ago, this guy was living in poverty.”
Vance grew up in poverty in Ohio. His mother suffered from drug addiction and he was raised largely by his maternal grandparents.
He graduated from high school and became a U.S. Marine for four years, before earning a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a law degree from Yale.
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said JD Vance needs to use his speech tonight to sell his compelling personal story to voters.
In 2016, three years after graduating from law school, he wrote the memoir that put him on the map, Hillbilly Elegy.
Now 39, he is a senator from Ohio and Trump’s pick for vice president.
“Only in this great country can you do that. That’s why I think what you’re going to hear is his success story,” Lewandowski continued.
“And I hope that he can articulate that under the Trump Vance administration, over the next four years, more people will be able to achieve the American dream.”
Now, two Ivy League-educated populist Republicans (with Trump and his University of Pennsylvania degree) will face two non-Ivy League-educated Democrats.
In 2016, three years after graduating from law school, he wrote the memoir that put him on the map, Hillbilly Elegy.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn agreed that Vance’s rags-to-riches story would help sell the American dream.
“I think JD has one of the most intriguing life stories of any senator,” the Tennessee Republican told DailyMail.com. “He’s pretty much a perfect fit.”
He said Vance would bring a “younger, more libertarian” type of voter to the Republican Party.
Vance has been adamantly opposed to aid to Ukraine since the start of the war and argues that the United States needs to firmly reorient its defense focus toward East Asia.
Other, more centrist senators were less enthusiastic about the idea of Vance as Trump’s pick, though they avoided direct criticism.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he was “standing by” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, not J.D. Vance.
But his selection attracts “younger voters” to the Republican Party, which is an advantage for the future.
Cramer, with a smile, called Vance an “honest intellectual populist.” “He’ll be a good running mate, a good vice president, and if necessary, president.”
“I think most people don’t know him, to be honest,” Lewandowski told DailyMail.com
Vance is a very different choice than Trump’s pick in 2016, when Lewandowski was in charge of vice president Mike Pence. Pence gave much more priority to international alliances and support for Ukraine.
“Vance wants to say that we will never allow Americans to be forgotten. That we will always stand up for everyday Americans and make sure they have good opportunities here in this country,” Bernie Moreno, Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio, told DailyMail.com.
“We’re not going to move our jobs overseas. We’re not going to wage wars in other countries. We’re not going to rip off American taxpayers for our own personal gain. I think this solidifies the party of a new generation of American leaders.”