The Republican is drawing criticism for his lack of flexibility and his outright opposition to abortion
He is betting on increasing support for Israel but is skeptical about the delivery of aid to Ukraine
The vice president-elect of the United States, JD Vance, is destined to become a controversial figure in the North American country. The politician, known for his extremist and conservative vision of American society, will be sworn into office on Monday alongside Donald Trump, a figure with whom he has ended up identifying despite the initial quarrels.
Vance has managed to transform his vision of politics in just a few years. The 40-year-old businessman, who will become one of the three youngest vice presidents in the history of the United States, admitted in 2016 that he felt a clear animosity towards the New York magnate, with whom he plans to lead a new era.
His arrival at the White House comes amid the growing polarization of American life and amid the rise of an anti-immigration discourse that has become the cornerstone of Trump’s message. Now, he says, it is not so much what separates him from the president-elect, with whom he says he shares ideas – especially regarding the economy – although not so much the ways.
During the elections held last November, Vance was key to gaining the support of rural America, a social stratum that has been inclined towards conservative positions for almost half a century, a position that has become increasingly radical as the feeling of marginalization of its voters with respect to urban centers grows.
His own childhood was fundamental to this. Vance grew up in the well-known rust belt, a region located in the northeast and severely hit by industrial and economic decline since the 1970s, mainly due to the transfer of manufacturing jobs abroad. It is a predominantly white area that has some of the poorest regions in the entire country and that extends across states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, among others.
This has led to a great level of frustration among its residents. Vance, who was born in Ohio, described a disconnected America in 2016 in an autobiographical book that became a bestseller.
Under the title ‘Country Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis’, he takes the opportunity to attack those who criticize the populations of these areas but also those who, in his opinion, do not do enough to get a job and get ahead. Many consider that this book contains some of the keys to the political success of Trump himself, who despite his high standard of living has been able to capitalize on the sentiment of the white and conservative working class that resides in this region.
Thus, the former Ohio senator was chosen by Trump’s team despite the fact that he had little support within the more moderate wing of the Republican Party, which has shown its continued misgivings about this election, especially due to his lack of experience in the political arena.
His positions have been criticized for his lack of flexibility and his outright opposition to abortion –which he calls for banning nationwide from 15 weeks onwards–, as well as his statements about Democratic Party voters, whom he has referred to as “crazy cat people without children.”
In this sense, he has chosen to define himself as a “pro-life” person who wants to “save as many babies as possible” and has clarified that Trump “is trying to achieve an answer to a very complex issue,” such as abortion.
MIGRATION POLICY
On the issue of migration, Trump’s number two has already indicated that he hopes to finish building the wall on the border with Mexico to stop the entry of migrants from the neighbouring country, a measure harshly criticised by human rights organisations.
Despite his success as a businessman, which places him closer to the elites than to the working classes he promises to defend, he insists on pointing to migrants as the cause of low wages and accuses them of cheapening labour.
That is why he also proposes speeding up deportations and ending programmes that facilitate the establishment of migrants on US soil. His vision, which has allowed him to gain support among the most conservative voices, has led him to speak of China as the “greatest threat” to the United States and to even present a bill to prevent the Asian giant from accessing the US market.
This renewed harmony with Trump and his positions adds to the defense that climate change does not pose a real threat and has made him a politician skeptical of aid destined for Ukraine now that the invasion enters its third consecutive year. Vance believes that the current Administration actually lacks a plan to achieve kyiv’s success despite the large amounts of aid.
In this sense, he has bet on facilitating the reestablishment of the borders of 1991, when the former Soviet Union fell, but continues to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine against Moscow.
A controversial figure, Vance is committed to increasing support for Israel in the framework of its offensive against the Gaza Strip, an operation that has left more than 46,600 dead in the Palestinian enclave in just fifteen months.
VANCE VERSUS PENCE
Vance, who for many represents the personification of the ‘American dream’, has claimed a different position to that of former vice president Mike Pence, whose relationship with Trump was seriously affected by the position adopted by the then president after the elections held in 2020.
On this matter, the vice president-elect has assured that he would not have certified the results of those elections – an issue to which Pence opposed – that gave victory to Joe Biden and led to the assault on the Capitol on January 6. “If I had been vice president then I would not have done it,” he clarified.
“I think that the United States Congress should have fought from there. That was the legitimate way to deal with an election that many people, including myself, believed presented many problems. I think that is what we should have done,” he said.
In 2020, Trump pressured Pence to reject the election results, but Pence refused to do so, concluding that his role as vice president was purely symbolic, ultimately declaring Biden’s victory over Trump.
