Who is Trump’s running mate, JD Vance?

The first-term senator from Ohio, once a critic of Donald Trump, is now at the former president’s side for the upcoming election
     

Aug 2, 1984: Born James Donald Bowman in Middletown, Ohio. Primarily raised by his grandparents, as his parents divorced when he was a toddler

During teenage years, adopts name of his stepfather, becoming James David Hamel

2003: Enlists in U.S. Marines – serves for four years, including deployment to Iraq as combat correspondent for six months in 2005

2009/2013: Earns degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School
 
2014: Adopts name of Vance – his grandparents’ surname – when he marries his wife, Usha (inset). Couple have three children
 
2015-2016
Works as venture capitalist in San Francisco

2016: Rises to prominence with bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy”
 
2016 election: Emerges as vocal critic of Donald Trump, calling him an “idiot” and “America’s Hitler”
  
2019: Converts to Catholicism
  
2021: Meets Trump, two grow closer during his Senate campaign
  
2022: Wins Senate seat
      
Jul 15, 2024: Named as Trump’s pick for Vice President
   

Sources: Associated Press, BBC, Politico, Reuters, USA Today
Pictures: Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons 
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