MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — JD Vance returned home less than one week after being tapped to join Donald Trump on the Republican ticket this November.
The Vice Presidential candidate spoke at a "Hometown Rally" in Middletown on Monday.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am from Middletown, Ohio and I am proud of it and I will never forget where I came from," Vance told the packed auditorium at Middletown High School.
The school's auditorium fits a maximum amount of roughly 800 people, though not everyone who arrived to attend the rally were able to fit inside; some fans outside the high school were still able to see Vance when he stepped outside briefly to wave and speak with the hundred people who didn't leave after doors closed.
Inside, Vance spoke to the crowd about his Middletown roots, his background and his book, "Hillbilly Elegy," which featured his childhood and family dynamics growing up in the Ohio town.
"A lot of you know the story of my family," he said. "Hell, a lot of you are probably my family."
You can watch Vance's full speech in the player below:
Vance highlighted several of his and Trump's campaign topics, ranging from closing the country's southern border to bringing manufacturing jobs back to rural America to education in schools. He addressed the economy, energy resources and what he said was a need for voter ID in order to vote.
When he was growing up in Middletown, Vance said there was opportunity that is lacking now.
"Middletown had opportunity and we've gotta make sure it's there for the next generation," said Vance.
He also spoke about Biden's Sunday announcement that he was dropping out of the presidential race to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate instead.
Doors are open at Middletown High School, where graduate & Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance will speak this afternoon.
It’s his first solo event since being named to the ticket. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/5SReL5tf7j
— Andrew Rowan (@andrewrowan128) July 22, 2024
After blaming media and Harris herself for allegedly lying about Biden's condition and whether he'd been fit to run all along, Vance said he was disappointed that, now, Trump would be able to debate Harris instead of himself.
"I'm kinda pissed off about that, if I'm being honest with you," he said, while grinning.
Trump announced the "Hillbilly Elegy" author would be his VP choice on Monday, posting to Truth Social as the Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
"After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance from the Great State of Ohio," Trump wrote on the social media site.
The Middletown, Ohio native was endorsed by Trump during his run for the Ohio Senate, though the pair's relationship has occasionally been rocky.
Trump boosted Vance's career, and Vance has returned the favor by unceasingly defending Trump's policies and behavior. His debating skills, ability to articulate Trump's vision and fund-raising prowess are all potential assets for Vance, those familiar with the vetting process say.
It's far from where Vance's relationship to Trump started. His best-selling book gained Vance a reputation as a “Trump whisperer” able to help explain the maverick New York businessman's appeal in middle America, but Vance was a never-Trumper in 2016. He called Trump “dangerous” and “unfit” for office. Vance, whose wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, is Indian-American and the mother of their three children, also criticized Trump's racist rhetoric, saying he could be “America's Hitler.”
But not everyone sees the book — later adapted into a Ron Howard-directed film, starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams — that way. It ignited criticism from scholars across Appalachia, many of whom said it trafficked in cheap stereotypes and failed to diagnose the origins of the region's troubled history or offer workable policy solutions.
Some city officials in Middletown still cringe at its mention. They fear their town has forever been branded a forsaken backwater, even as investments pour into local manufacturing, infrastructure and recreational opportunities.
