Profile: JD Vance, the American Dream come true

James David Vance is the embodiment of the American dream. A young man born into a family of limited resources; who faces the difficult situation of growing up in an environment full of abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction and crime; but still, supported by his grandmother, found the strength to get ahead, study at one of the best universities in the country and even become vice president.

A childhood that shaped his character and political vision

J.D. Vance rose to national fame when in 2016 he published his book "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis." In the book he recounts his tough childhood and youth, marked by a dysfunctional family, a mother with drug and alcohol problems, and economic hardships typical of the working class in rural Rust Belt regions.

Vance's maternal grandmother was the central figure throughout his childhood and youth. Faced with his mother's addiction problems, the now vice president took refuge in this woman who took charge of his upbringing and forged in him a character capable of getting ahead despite adversity. She also made sure that her grandson did not get involved in drug use or crime.

Despite all the family problems he had, encouraged by his grandmother, Vance worked hard to continue his studies. He received a scholarship to Ohio State University and was later accepted to Yale Law School. During his college years, he had several episodes where he thought he wass not going to make it, he describes in his book how he struggled with imposter syndrome. He also has an episode in which he had to return to Ohio to help his mother who was hospitalized for an overdose. That moment marked his life, because he decided to put his mother first and take a long trip in the middle of exams so as not to leave her alone, but then he had to retake a very important exam, and even in the midst of all the family crisis he was going through, Vance managed to gather the strength to make the trip back and save his career.

All his experiences during childhood and adolescence, the family and economic obstacles, make Vance construct his political vision of the world, which is very well explained in his book. Vance criticizes both political parties for abandoning the working class, but he also criticizes those who do not make an effort and, instead of working hard and facing life with resilience, decide to choose the easy path of crime or drugs.

His personal experience made him a strong advocate for family, because without the support of his family he would not have been able to get ahead, and because he himself experienced the dramatic effect that a dysfunctional family can have on a young person's life. His vision about the industrial sector and the economic policy that the country should have also comes from his personal experience, Vance campaigned promising to protect the national industry and return to industrial jobs to Americans, an idea that comes from his lived experience in his home in southern Ohio.

Political ideas

Vance firmly believes that the country's economic future is tied to strengthening the industrial sector, particularly manufacturing. He therefore advocates government incentives for companies to set up in poverty-stricken regions. He has also criticized free trade agreements.

One of the strongest criticisms he consistently receives is his protectionist approach and his view that the road to prosperity has to be linked to a return to large industries. For free market economists societies must decide, according to their preferences and comparative advantages, which sectors are the path to prosperity, which as it may be the manufacturing industry, it could also be state-of-the-art technology.

In his time in the Senate Vance co-sponsored bills to regulate large tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon. He became famous for criticizing those companies for, from a dominant position, censoring conservative voices. In the Senate he accused these companies of wanting to establish a kind of information monopoly several times.

Illegal immigration is another of the main concerns of the now vice president. Vance strongly criticized the immigration disaster that took place under the Biden administration, and has advocated for tougher policies to stem the immigration flow. The immigration issue is not only addressed as a national security issue but also an economic one, Vance assures that the working class must be protected from migrants who take away their job offers.

Vance defends traditional values. He has shown himself to be opposed to gender ideology and to critical race theory and all the currents of the new left that have achieved some popularity in the country. He is pro-life and has also spoken out openly against the persecution that some Americans have suffered on account of their religion and conservative values.

His brief stint in the Senate

JD Vance took office as Ohio's senator in January 2023, during his time in the upper chamber he pushed bills focused on the working class, fighting illegal immigration, and curbing abuses by big tech corporations. He was the primary sponsor of 36 bills during the year and a half of his first session of Congress, however only one of his bills made it to a committee vote in Congress, and none became law, which is completely normal given his brief tenure as a senator.

Here are some of the bills he co-sponsored or supported.

Working Class Protection Act. With this bill Vance promoted reindustrialization policies, based on tax incentives and subsidies to companies that set up shop in areas that have been hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs.

Immigration Review and Border Control Act. This legislation sought to strengthen border security and reduce illegal immigration. It proposed increased border patrols, expansion of the wall on the southern border, and a stronger and more detailed review of the asylum petition process.

Middle Class Assistance and Public Spending Review Act. This was one of the bills Vance co-sponsored to overhaul federal government spending and attempt to reduce it, seeking to lower the deficit and focus money on programs aimed at working people. This legislation included cutting spending from non-essential areas to put toward programs that would encourage job creation and education.

Trump's partner

JD Vance became an invaluable partner for Trump. In the midst of a presidential campaign in which Trump had to spend several weeks going to court every day in New York, and dealing with a myriad of issues regarding the different cases against him, Vance traveled across the country every week to talk to local journalists and especially to the people, explaining the president's agenda and listening to the needs of each of the different communities.

Although as soon as he was chosen by Trump to be his vice presidential running mate, the media attacked him fiercely, in every interview and with every press conference he did traveling the country, the senator made it clear that most of the accusations against him were lies, and showed his empathy and legitimate concern for Americans. Vance furthermore was crucial in debating and clarifying the most controversial points of Trump's agenda to the media , his background as a lawyer and his eloquence were of great help to the president, and he will surely continue to be a great helper and support during the next four years.