President Trump tapped into the GOP’s next generation of leaders by selecting Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) to be his running mate Monday.
The pick completes an ideological shift in the GOP from a generation of business and foreign policy-minded Republicans to the brand of New Right conservatism that has blossomed under Trump’s MAGA movement.
Vance is close with the former president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr., who lobbied his father for the pick.
The breakdown:
- Vance is a 39-year old Ohio native.
- He’s a former Marine and Yale Law School graduate.
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Vance’s bestselling 2016 book “Hillbilly Elegy” depicted his upbringing in Appalachia, as well as the poverty and addiction in the region.
- Vance was once unsparing in his criticism of Trump, calling him “noxious” and “reprehensible” in 2016. But he’s firmly in the MAGA camp now, saying Trump won him over during his first term in office.
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Vance has been a leading voice in the Senate opposing aide for Ukraine.
GOP strategist Matt Wolking emailed The Evening Report, noting that Vance’s home state of Ohio will not be a battleground in the presidential race:
“This pick does not significantly change the electoral map, but Kamala Harris’ debate prep just got a whole lot harder. Big picture, assuming Trump wins in November, there is now no question that over the next decade the Republican Party will be focused on improving the wellbeing of American families and workers first, and less captive to long held ideological beliefs about small government, economics, and foreign policy.”
THE GOP CONVENTION IS IN FULL SWING just more than 48 hours after Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt.
In interviews with the New York Post and Washington Examiner, Trump has been in a solemn and reflective mood.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead. The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this. He called it a miracle. By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God I’m still here.”
Trump said he’s changed his nominating speech, which will be given Thursday.
“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger…Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would’ve been two days ago.”
One early sign that Trump is pushing for unity, at least within his own party, is by extending an invitation to former rival Nikki Haley to speak at the convention this week.
SECURITY AT THE CONVENTION is top of mind, but it appears there will be few changes to what had already been in the works. The Secret Service has no plans to expand the perimeter around the event.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson (D) said security preparations have been ongoing for 18 months.
“Milwaukee is designated a national special safety or security event, so it’s the highest designation, even higher so than what we saw in Pennsylvania just the other day.”
The shooting has largely put politics on hold. Trump and President Biden have been promoting a message that the country must unite.
But the thaw is coming, and both sides are skeptical the calls for unity will stick.
The Biden campaign will restart activities around the Republican National Convention on Monday night after a brief truce and fundraising pause.
Biden’s interview with NBC’s Lester Holt will air in full later tonight. The president will then head out to battleground Nevada for a two-day swing.
Perspectives:
The Hill: Only an October surprise can swing the presidential election now.
The Guardian: Did Trump just win the election?
The Nation: Trump deserves sympathy, but not support.
The Free Press: Why Zoomers are turning to MAGA.
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