JD Vance prepared to be the first millennial vice president

As he prepares to become the nation’s first millennial vice president, JD Vance is already the presumptive heir to the “Make America Great Again” movement.

Vance hasn’t been assigned a specific portfolio in the White House like some of his predecessors. While he has long-standing areas of interest, from tech and disaster relief to immigration, people close to the former Ohio senator say he sees his role as doing whatever is needed to best help President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration accomplish his agenda. He is also expected to be a liaison to Capitol Hill, leveraging relationships he built during his two years in the Senate.

“I would say JD’s the guy that will plug any hole or be as beneficial to the administration and be as beneficial to President Trump as possible,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, a friend and ally.

Moreno said Vance would also continue the role he played during the campaign as Trump’s chief messenger, defending him on television and jousting with reporters.

“His most important job is to be out there and be President Trump’s pit bull,” said Moreno. When Trump needs somebody to defend him or his policies, he added, “JD’s going to be the guy that leads the troops to have President Trump’s back.”

It has been an astounding eight years for the 40-year-old “Hillbilly Elegy” author, who has transformed himself from a former venture capitalist and harsh Trump critic. Vance will be a critical part not just of Trump’s return to the White House but the future of his political movement. With Trump prevented by the Constitution from running in 2028, Vance is a natural successor.

Trump’s decision to tap Vance as his No. 2 landed faced early criticism.

But Vance soon delivered a widely praised performance during the vice presidential debate and established himself as a top Trump surrogate, someone who regularly answered reporters’ questions and sat for interviews with outlets of all stripes. He once appeared on three Sunday shows in a single day.

Vance’s willingness to wade into sometimes hostile territory earned Trump’s praise.

“He is a feisty guy, isn’t he?” Trump said during his victory speech the night of the election, describing how he had instructed Vance to “go into the enemy camp.” While some Republicans might have resisted going on CNN or speaking with The New York Times, Trump said, Vance “really looks forward to it, and then he just goes in and absolutely obliterates them.”

Vance, he added, “turned out to be a good choice. I took a little heat at the beginning, but he was — I knew the brain was a good one, about as good as it gets.”

Aides have long described Trump and Vance as real friends who enjoy each other’s company. The two speak almost every day on the phone, in person or by text.

Vance is also ideologically aligned with Trump on major issues ranging from trade to the use of U.S. forces overseas. He is close to Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and has developed strong relationships with incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles, senior adviser Stephen Miller and others.

He also has ties to the new generation of tech billionaires ascendant in Trump’s orbit, including Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who once employed Vance and backed his rise in politics.



(AP Photo Mark Schiefelbein)