Now the two men are running mates –

and the connection seems to be borne

of personal affinity rather than

cold political calculation.

JD Vance, a venture capitalist turned Ohio senator who rose to fame with

his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy,

once described himself as

a “never Trumper”, calling the then – candidate Donald Trump in 2016

an “idiot”, “cultural heroin”

and a potential “American Hitler”.

Here’s what to know about

the former president’s choice for

his vice-presidential candidate.

1. Vance will be loyal and can turn the tables on Democrats

That kind of vocal backing stands him in stark contrast with Trump’s former vice-president, Mike Pence, who broke decisively and bitterly with the then president by resisting his entreaties not to certify Biden’s 2020 election victory in the US Congress, leading to the 6 January 2021 storming of the Capitol by a mob.

This was on display within two hours

of Saturday’s failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. In a post that provoked fury among Democrats

but surely earned Trump’s gratitude, Vance wrote on Twitter/X that the moral responsibility lay with Joe Biden.

2. He will support Trump’s nationalist foreign policy

In an interview on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast earlier this year, he said:

“I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”

Vance has been a leading opponent

of US aid to Ukraine, saying defence against China should be a much bigger priority, a position that aligns him with the man who is now his political patron.

3. He may also have been

chosen for his youth

Vance could conceivably become the country’s youngest ever president if Trump, 78, were to die in office or step down before the end of his term.

In an election between the two oldest main candidates in US history, Vance –

at a relatively youthful 39 – could end up becoming one of America’s youngest

vice-presidents.

At 39, Vance is already old enough

to be president under the terms

of the US constitution, which mandates the minimum age to be 35.

4. His profile rather than

his Ohio origins are probably what makes him politically attractive to Trump

Although Ohio, which Vance represents

as a senator, has traditionally been

a swing state, Trump won it by eight points in 2020, having captured it against Hillary Clinton in 2016, and is expected

to hold it again in November.

Vance’s attractions to Trump more

likely lie in his appeal to white working class voters across a wider geographical area – particularly in genuine battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan

and Wisconsin.

5. Vance’s abortion views

are likely to turn off many

female voters

He has articulated much harder line policies than Trump, who says states should determine their own policies

on abortion.

In contrast, Vance opposes the practice even in case of rape or incest, although

he has stopped short of saying there should be a national ban and has said exceptions should be allowed when

the mother’s life is at risk.

Nevertheless, when he ran for Senate

in 2022, his website carried a headline

on the subject that read: Ban Abortion.