Vance officially accepts Republican nomination for U.S. Vice President post

He expressed his gratitude to be appointed at this nomination, and highlighted the Republican party's importance for future US prosperity.

"Shouldn't we be led by a party that is not afraid to discuss ideas and come to the best decision?" Vance said.

"This is the Republican Party of the next four years, united in our love for this country and committed to freedom of speech and the open ideas exchange. Today I stand here, humbled and filled with gratitude, as I formally accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America."

Several administrations had failed, he said, "until Donald Trump came along."

“My friends, many of the kids I grew up with didn't do very well," he remembered.

"From time to time, a relative calls me and asks: 'Did you know so-and-so?' And I remember the faces that I saw many years ago, and then I learn that they died of an overdose."

The only thing "that needs to be done right now" is to re-elect Donald Trump as president of the United States, Vance concluded.

J.D. Vance's background

Trump chose J.D. Vance as his vice-presidential candidate, he reported on July 15.

Vance was born on Aug. 2, 1984. He was elected to the Senate in 2022. Vance has been a staunch opponent of foreign aid in Congress, opposing legislation that would increase U.S. assistance to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

Vance and 18 other Republicans signed a letter to President Joe Biden in April 2023, calling for an end to unlimited aid to Ukraine. They would oppose future aid packages without a transparent diplomatic strategy for a swift end to the war, they said.

Vance is one of the most isolationist members of the Republican Party. Vance could be a “disaster” for Ukraine and the EU, since it was he who played a central role in trying to defeat a bill on aid to Ukraine passage in the Senate in late 2023 - early 2024 year, Politico reported on July 16.