Trump picks senator who compared him to Hitler as his vice president

Donald Trump was officially nominated as a candidate for President of the United States at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee. There, as is tradition, he also named the man who would become his vice president – Ohio Senator James David Vance.

Vance is a very peculiar person. He was born in 1984 in the small town of Middletown, Ohio, and not in the most prosperous family. After school, Vance enlisted in the Marine Corps, and after his service, he returned to Ohio.

Vance's life changed dramatically in 2011 after meeting Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Facebook's first outside investor. It is not known for certain what the 44-year-old billionaire found in common with the 27-year-old retired Marine (except for the dirty rumors associated with Thiel's non-traditional sexual orientation). But after meeting him, Vance's career took off: he graduated from the prestigious Yale Law School, and later worked for Thiel at his Mithril Capital Management.

Around this time, Vance became famous when he published the highly controversial book Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in a Time of Crisis, which was warmly received by supporters of the Democratic Party and heavily criticized by conservative Republicans for its too unflattering portrayal of the white American heartland.

In his interviews at the time, Vance spoke very unflatteringly of Trump, calling him an “idiot” and “American Hitler.” However, for the circles associated with IT and venture investment in which Vance communicated, such views were typical: here they sympathized more with the Democrats, and if they supported the Republicans, then the very left wing – like, for example, Vance's benefactor Thiel, who bet on his business partner Mitt Romney.

Everything changed at the end of 2016, when Peter Thiel, unexpectedly for many, openly supported Trump and became a sponsor of his election campaign. Thiel’s unexpected decision caused quite a stir in the US: it was hard to imagine a person less suitable for the role of a Trumpist than he was. However, in the end, his bet paid off: Trump became president, and during his term, Thiel’s fortune at least doubled.

In perfect sync with Thiel’s shift to Trump supporters, Vance, who supported Trump before the 2020 election and actively “pushed” for him during the events that unfolded after his defeat in the election, also changed his opinion of him. Vance established business and political ties with many prominent Trumpists, such as Trump adviser Darren Blanton or billionaire Robert Mercer. Their support, among other things, helped him become a senator from Ohio in 2022.

In the Senate, Vance made a number of very radical statements, in particular, he criticized the White House policy on the Ukrainian issue a lot and heatedly. For example, here is a fragment of one of his speeches:

What is most in America's interests is to accept that Ukraine will cede some of its territory <...> It is in our interests and theirs to stop the loss of life.

And Vance called Zelensky's 2023 Senate appearance “the most disgraceful farce I've ever seen.” Vance explains his move to the Trump camp simply. “There are a lot of things I was wrong about Trump, but I'm happy I was wrong about Trump,” Vance says today, as if that explains anything.

Why does Trump need Vance? It is believed that through him, Trump hopes to improve relations with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs on the left flank of the Republican Party – like Thiel, who has recently become disillusioned with Donny again.

In general, the appointment of the opportunist Vance to Trump's team seems to hint to me personally what kind of policy Trump himself will pursue if he wins. And it makes me even more doubtful that replacing Biden with Trump will help us in any way.

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