Donald Trump has picked Ohio Senator JD Vance, a once-fierce critic turned loyal ally, as his Republican running mate.
He said Mr Vance’s appearance on the ticket would “help me Make America Great Again”, adding that he would also be “strongly focused” on helping farmers and American workers.
But who is the 39-year-old junior senator and why did Mr Trump pick him to be his running mate?
Previous life as an author
Born to a poor family in southern Ohio, Mr Vance went to Yale Law School after a spell in the Marine Corps.
After law school, he moved to San Francisco to work in the tech industry as a venture capitalist.
But he came to prominence with his 2016 best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, which detailed the economic problems facing left behind towns in so-called ‘Rust Belt’ states.
The book became the topic of much commentary after Mr Trump’s victory in the 2016 race. It was made into a film starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close.
Trump critic turned supporter
Mr Trump’s pick of Mr Vance for his running mate has drawn attention to his previous comments on the presidential hopeful.
The senator, who has been characterised as being on the populist wing of the Republican Party, strongly criticised Mr Trump during the 2016 race, saying his policies range from “immoral to absurd” and describing him as “reprehensible”.
Mr Vance also labelled himself a “never-Trump guy”. But by 2020, Mr Vance had apologised for some of his previous remarks, saying he thought Mr Trump was a good president, and by 2023, he began officially endorsing Mr Trump in the Republican Party primaries.
Mr Vance’s political positions
The senator is on the right of political spectrum, comparing abortion to slavery, and opposing a woman’s right to choose with exceptions for cases of incest and rape.
He opposed the federal law which legalised same-sex marriage, and has criticised what he calls high immigration to the United States as driving down wages for working class Americans.
The 39-year-old has also been critical of US military aid to Ukraine after Russia’s unprovoked invasion, saying: “I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
Comments on UK
His being named as Mr Trump’s partner on the presidential ticket has already caused some controversy in the UK, as he called the UK “the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon".
Speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC last week, he said he had to "beat up on the UK" after Labour’s victory at the election.
He said: "We were like maybe it's Iran, maybe Pakistan kind of counts, and then we sort of decided maybe it's actually the UK since Labour just took over.
"But to my Tory friends, I have to say, you guys have got to get a handle on this."
Figures from both the Labour Party and the Conservatives have hit back at the comments.
