J.D. Vance introduces himself as Trump’s running mate and makes direct appeal to his native Rust Belt

JD Vance makes his debut as Donald Trump's running mate, emphasizing his working-class roots and connection to struggling Americans.

JD Vance introduced himself to a national audience on July 17 after being chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate, sharing the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and making the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans.

Speaking to a packed arena at the Republican National Convention, the Ohio senator cast himself as a fighter for a forgotten working class, making a direct appeal to the Rust Belt voters who helped drive Mr. Trump’s surprise 2016 victory and voicing their anger and frustration.

“In small towns like mine in Ohio, or next door in Pennsylvania, or in Michigan, in states all across our country, jobs were sent overseas and children were sent to war,” he said.

“To the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and every corner of our nation, I promise you this," he said. "I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from.”

The 39-year-old Ohio senator is a relative political unknown, having served in the Senate for less than two years. He rapidly morphed in recent years from a bitter critic of the former President to an aggressive defender and is now positioned to become the future leader of the party and the torch-bearer of Mr. Trump's “Make America Great Again" political movement.

The first millennial to join the top of a major party ticket, Mr. Vance enters the race as questions about the age of the men at the top — 78-year-old Mr. Trump and 81-year-old President Joe Biden — have been high on the list of voters’ concerns. He also joins Mr. Trump after an assassination attempt against the former President — in which Mr. Trump came perhaps millimetres from death or serious injury — underscoring the importance of a potential successor.

But Mr. Trump’s decision to choose Mr. Vance wasn’t about picking a running mate or the next Vice President, said Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who introduced the senator at a fundraiser earlier on July 17.