Republican National Convention attendees and delegates say they love JD Vance as Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, but some don’t know who the freshman senator from Ohio is.
Trump announced Vance as his running mate Monday afternoon on Truth Social, as MAGA fans gathered at a packed Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Amid cheers, loud country music and flashing lights, the 39-year-old Marine Corps veteran, author of “Hillbilly Elegy” and lawmaker entered the convention and accepted his official nomination for vice president.
It seemed like the entire room had been Vance fans for years once the news hit the speakers, given how loud the roar of approval was.
But when DailyMail.com pressed MAGA supporters to say what they admire most about the Ohio man, the first things that stood out were his youth, his good looks and his military service. However, some revealed they didn’t know much about him.
US Senator JD Vance, Republican of Ohio, and his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance celebrate his nomination for vice president. Everyone who spoke to DailyMail.com about Vance’s selection for vice president had positive things to say about the young politician.
“I don’t know the man,” Tina, a delegate from American Samoa, told DailyMail.com. “But seeing and hearing that he is a senator from Ohio, I feel at peace with that.”
“He’s a handsome guy, he seems humble,” she said of her first impressions of the junior senator from Ohio. “That tells me that Donald Trump and the entire RNC leadership are committed to picking the right candidate for vice president.”
He said he made the 24-hour trip to Milwaukee to see former President Donald Trump and experience the festivities firsthand.
Washington’s Dale said, “I don’t think we can do any better” than Vance.
“I’m thrilled to see JD Vance as a vice presidential candidate. I think he’s ideologically aligned with Donald Trump.”
Dale added that Vance’s youth could mean he picks up the MAGA mantle.
“I think he has great potential to be our flagship in four years’ time and I’m delighted with that,” he said.
Dale, of Washington, said Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said the young lawmaker would be a good standard-bearer for the future of the Republican Party. He said he was “excited” about Trump’s choice because the two are “ideologically well aligned.”
Terry and Tess from Tennessee were very excited about Vance being Trump’s running mate. Although Tess later admitted that she didn’t know who Vance was before Monday.
A crowd of Republican National Convention attendees turn to smile for the cameras as the event begins on Monday.
“I know that he came from a fairly humble background and that he has excelled in life,” Dale continued. “He has represented himself incredibly well in a variety of ways, both educationally, militarily and politically.”
A couple of women from Tennessee, Terry and Tess, also expressed their enthusiasm for Vance’s possible new job.
“We are very excited,” the couple proclaimed excitedly.
“I especially love the fact that he served in the Marine Corps,” Terry said. “We have a vice president who understands and respects how important our military is, and it’s a wonderful day for the Republican Party.”
Tess, while still enthusiastic, may not have been as excited about the candidate as she was at the time.
She admitted she didn’t know who Vance was before he was announced as Trump’s running mate.
But, he added, “President Trump, if he’s with anybody, I’m with him.”
Although Tess hasn’t met Vance, she said if Trump likes him that’s good enough for her.
Terry told DailyMail.com that he knew the Ohio Republican, saying, “He’s a familiar name and face” on Newsmax and other conservative media outlets.
Vance was joined at the RNC festivities on Monday by his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance, who, like the senator, graduated from Yale Law School.
The couple has been married for years and have three children together.
Bill, from South Carolina, highlighted Vance’s classical conservatism and family-friendly image as positives for the Republican presidential nomination.
Although, he said, Vance getting the vice president job was a surprise.
“It was quite a surprise, but a very pleasant surprise.”
“We have a smart young man, we have a Marine, I’m proud to be a military man,” Bill told DailyMail.com. “I’m a retired Air Force soldier and to have a military buddy who could be vice president is fantastic news.”
Another South Carolinian, Jerry, agreed, calling Vance’s nomination “absolutely brilliant.”
“I love to balance the scales,” he said, “and I love a young fighter to balance it.”
It’s important pointing that: “I think he will attract a lot of young voters.”
“I knew he was a very good senator, that he believed in conservative principles and that he was a fighter. He wasn’t someone who could be backed into a corner, which I like, and he’s a go-getter.”
Bill, an Air Force veteran from South Carolina, was thrilled that Vance, a war veteran, had been given the nod to be Trump’s vice president. “I’m a former Air Force man and to have a military buddy who could be vice president is fantastic news,” he said.
Ann told DailyMail.com that she believes Vance is the right choice for an “America First” candidate.
Ann, dressed head to toe in MAGA slogans, said Vance is an exciting candidate who champions an “America First” stance.
“I’m excited and looking forward to seeing what he plans to do,” she said happily.
“I think he will fully support Trump.”
