J.D. Vance, the Ohio senator, is reportedly on a shortlist for vice president, alongside Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, according to sources familiar with former President Donald Trump's conversations.
Vance, a former Marine and author of the bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," has emerged as one of Trump's most formidable promoters on cable news channels.
The 39-year-old senator, who was brought up in the crushing poverty of southern Ohio by his heroin-addicted mother and his fierce grandmother, has been praised for his deep connection with the rust belt states that could decide the election.
Critics have accused Vance of being a political chameleon, selling out his Never Trump credentials at the first sniff of power. However, supporters, including Donald Trump Jr. and former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, say he embodies the American Dream and has the TV skills essential for the president's number-one advocate.
Vance's strict running regimen, instituted during his run for Senate, has seen him lose weight recently, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Trump himself.
"He's one handsome son of a bitch," Trump reportedly told his inner circle, noting Vance's slimmed-down figure and choice of well-fitting suits.
Vance's rise to political prominence has been nothing short of extraordinary. After graduating from Yale Law School in 2013, he joined Mithril Capital, a venture capital firm in California owned by Silicon Valley billionaire and donor Peter Thiel, who later helped fund his pivot into politics.
Vance's background, combining an Ivy League law school with a well-received memoir, has triggered comparisons with another former president. Vance himself leaned into the comparison in a 2016 New York Times column entitled: "Barack Obama and Me."
Despite his success, Vance has remained grounded in his roots. He has become one of Trump's most visible defenders on television and a hero to the hardline MAGA movement with his message of America First economic nationalism.
Vance has also managed to work across the aisle in the Senate, teaming up with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, for example, on rail safety legislation in the aftermath of the East Palestine train derailment in his state.
With just days to go before Trump is expected to announce his running mate, Vance remains a strong contender. However, he has remained humble, joking with journalists on Tuesday when asked whether he'd received a Bachelor-style rose or golden ticket from Trump yet.
"I have not gotten a rose or a trinket or any other gifts," he said outside the Senate chamber, adding that he had no reason to think the speculation about his place on a shortlist was false.
"But I mean, look, it's Trump, right? He is a showman. He loves the fact that people are talking about this a lot."
Only time will tell if Vance will be chosen as Trump's running mate, but his rise to political prominence has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Sources:
dailymail.co.ukthepostmillennial.comtherightscoop.com