From his humble beginnings in a poor Ohio town to his ascension to the U.S. Senate, few figures in modern American politics have exemplified the spirit of the American Dream as compellingly as Vice President-elect JD Vance. As he prepares to take the oath of office, here is what Americans can expect from him for the next four years and beyond.
Born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, Vance’s childhood environment was defined in large part by poverty, addiction, and abuse—an experience he recounted in detail in his bestselling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy. After high school, Vance served as a U.S. Marine in the Iraq War, earned a degree from Ohio State University, and graduated from Yale Law School before entering the world of venture capital. Following his success as an author and political commentator, Vance then won election to the U.S. Senate in 2022 by defeating Democrat Congressman Tim Ryan – all before turning 40.
During his tenure in Congress, Vance quickly emerged as an avatar of the “New Right”—the conservative coalition working alongside Trump to shift the Republican Party in a dependably populist direction, particularly in the areas of trade, foreign policy, immigration, and cultural issues. In the span of just a few months, he became one of the most talked-about lawmakers in Washington and a respected leader in the Republican Senate caucus.
Vance’s political and personal appeal was perhaps best captured just weeks into his Senate term in the wake of the toxic train derailment that devastated the town of East Palestine, Ohio. While the Biden administration and most of the D.C. establishment generally ignored the incident, Vance almost immediately returned home to the Buckeye State to meet with residents and first responders.
Additionally, Vance introduced the “Railway Safety Act of 2023,” which would, according to his office, “prevent future rail disasters by enhancing safety and crew standards, requiring more sensors to detect railcar component failures, increasing fines for rail companies which commit wrongdoing, and investing in railway safety, research, and development projects.”
Vance has also introduced legislation to make English the official language of the United States, has sought to hold the D.C. establishment accountable for its exorbitant spending in Ukraine, and, as a sign of his commitment to pro-life and pro-family causes, has publicly advocated for “mak[ing] birth free” for American mothers and families. “We sent over $100b to Ukraine in the last year,” Vance wrote on Twitter. “For half that, we could make birth free in this country, end the surprise billings that devastate families with newborns, and possibly save the lives of a lot of new moms.”
Upon Vance’s victory in the May 2022 Ohio Republican Senate primary, the conservative publication The American Mind celebrated his win as a “hopeful sign for the future of the GOP” and a sound rejection of the “comfortable platitudes of the pre-Trump days.” And now, with Vance as the vice president-elect, the MAGA movement is better positioned than ever to carry the torch of Trump’s America First agenda into the future.
Thanks to his strong America First portfolio, inspiring personal story, and unique talent for dismantling the corporate media in his interviews and public appearances, Trump tapped Vance to be his running mate in July.
“I promise you this—I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” Vance said from the Republican National Convention stage in Milwaukee last summer, where he introduced himself to the nation and outlined his America First political philosophy.
“You know, one of the things that you hear people say sometimes is that America is an idea,” Vance said in the speech. “And to be clear, America was indeed founded on brilliant ideas, like the rule of law and religious liberty. Things written into the fabric of our Constitution and our nation. But America is not just an idea. It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future. It is, in short, a nation.”
Given Vance’s demonstrated command of policy and skills as a communicator, early indications suggest he may take a far more prominent role in the second Trump administration than is normally the case for vice presidents. Throughout the presidential transition process, Vance has already taken on an active role in supporting Trump’s Cabinet nominees and working with President Trump to roll out early policy initiatives.
Early reports indicate that among Vance’s key policy priorities from the VP, perch could include the economy and immigration, as well as “any of the issues Trump needs him to further.” The vice president-elect will also reportedly leverage his Senate background to become Trump’s “eyes and ears” on Capitol Hill. This has already proven to be the case with Vance’s involvement in the government funding battle just before Christmas.
Following the Trump-Vance campaign’s Election Day victory, Vance has also bolstered his profile as a proud conservative culture warrior. He notably invited Daniel Penny to be his guest at the Army-Navy football game earlier this month following Penny’s acquittal on murder charges for restraining a man threatening to attack passengers on a New York City subway. He has also continued to post memes, jokes, and his signature trolling content on his social media accounts—demonstrating that his personability and sense of humor will follow him to the vice president’s office.
Over the next four years, Vance could prove to be one of the most consequential vice presidents in American history. In addition to executing some of the administration’s key policy initiatives, Vance could also help to cement the GOP’s “New Right” direction—and, perhaps at the end of Trump’s term, serve as the MAGA movement’s heir apparent and propel its America First agenda into the 2030s.
“I think the left is seriously underestimating how likable and appealing JD is,” one liberal recently wrote on X. “He’s going to be the 2028 GOP nominee and we need to start working on better attacks.”
Although the left has long attempted to frame JD Vance and the political movement surrounding him as extremist, backward, and “weird,” the American people are coming to see that he is anything but. As Inauguration Day approaches and JD Vance prepares to become the 50th Vice President of the United States, the American people will be watching closely to see what he accomplishes for his country, for his community, and for the political movement he is set to lead into the future.
Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.
