Republican VP Candidate Vance Hails Trump’s Resilience

AFP/APP

Milwaukee: J D Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, delivered a speech on Wednesday in Milwaukee, praising Donald Trump’s resilience and criticizing President Joe Biden. 

Vance’s remarks came ahead of his keynote address to grassroots Republicans, where he formally accepted his nomination as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.

Speaking at the Republican National Convention, the Ohio Senator lauded Trump for his response to an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “The contrast between the lie that the media tells about President Trump and the man that all of us know was evident on Saturday,” Vance stated.

He recounted the moment when Trump was forced to take cover during gunfire, only to stand up shortly after, urging his supporters to “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Vance, often viewed as a divisive figure, refrained from specifying whom he was referring to as “they” when discussing the attack. 

He had previously attributed the incident to Democrats, despite authorities not having determined a motive or any additional involvement.

Highlighting Trump’s legacy, Vance described the Trump brand as “synonymous with luxury and beauty in the real estate world” and contrasted the economy under “real president Donald Trump” with the current state under “Fake Scranton Joe Biden.”

He argued that under Biden, “the basic trappings of middle-class life have become less and less attainable,” calling for Trump’s return to the White House.

Vance, 39, is set to become the third-youngest vice president in history if Trump, now 78, wins the upcoming election against Biden in November. Vance’s evolving relationship with Trump is notable, having initially opposed him in 2016 by labeling Trump a “moral disaster” and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.

However, Vance has since reinvented himself politically, securing Trump’s endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race and embracing Trump’s policies.

Although Vance gained prominence with his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” he remains relatively unknown to the general public. His upcoming speech, scheduled for 9:30 PM (0230 GMT), is expected to focus on his personal biography and connect his life story to the experiences of ordinary Americans.

The Milwaukee convention, attended by approximately 50,000 Republicans, has emphasized party unity behind Trump. Despite controversies surrounding Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his recent criminal conviction in a New York court, the event has rallied support for his leadership.