Who is JD Vance?
JD Vance is the 50th Vice President of the United States, serving under President Donald Trump since January 2025. He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, served in the Marine Corps in Iraq, studied at Ohio State University and Yale Law School and worked in venture capital. His 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy brought him national attention. He was elected to the US Senate from Ohio in 2022 and resigned after the 2024 election. As vice president he has cast tie-breaking Senate votes, led the US delegation at talks with Iran in Islamabad in April 2026 and campaigned for Republican candidates ahead of the November 2026 midterms. He has said he will decide on a 2028 presidential run only after the midterms.
Previously: Finance chair of the Republican National Committee (since March 2025) · Republican vice presidential nominee (2024) · US Senator from Ohio (2023-2025)
Documented positions
- Cast the tie-breaking vote as the Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act 51-50 on 1 July 2025.Source: senate.gov
- Broke a Senate tie in April 2025 to block a resolution that would have ended the emergency behind the president's global tariffs.Source: business.inquirer.net
- Told the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025 that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill the industry as it was taking off.Source: presidency.ucsb.edu
- Told the Munich Security Conference in February 2025 that the main threat to Europe came from within, criticizing limits on speech, immigration levels and the exclusion of some parties.Source: foreignpolicy.com
- Opposed US military aid to Ukraine as a senator and argued for a negotiated settlement that could involve Ukraine ceding territory.Source: nbcnews.com
- Co-sponsored the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 with Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown after the East Palestine train derailment.Source: govinfo.gov
- Said during the 2024 campaign that abortion policy should be decided by the states and that Trump did not want federal restrictions on the abortion pill.Source: nbcnews.com
- Said in March 2026 that he supported President Trump's handling of the Iran war and trusted him to avoid the mistakes of past wars.Source: internazionale.it
- Led the US delegation, with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, at talks with Iran in Islamabad in April 2026, saying the US was willing to extend an open hand if Iran negotiated in good faith.Source: english.aaj.tv
Record
In the Senate, Vance worked with Democrats on rail safety and bank executive pay while opposing Ukraine aid, bipartisan government funding deals and a 2024 bipartisan border bill that Trump opposed. As vice president he has cast tie-breaking votes on the 2025 budget law, the tariff emergency and a procedural vote advancing a rescissions package that cut funding for public broadcasting.
Supporters cite his work on trade, manufacturing and a foreign policy he describes as putting American interests first. Critics cite his statements about the 2020 electoral count, his Munich speech, which German officials called unacceptable, and his shift from skepticism of foreign wars to defending the 2026 Iran conflict.
In their words
“I'm here to talk about AI opportunity.”
