J.D. Vance made his primetime as Donald Trump’s running mate Wednesday evening at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The 39-year-old senator spoke about his difficult upbringing and how he lived the American Dream to become Trump’s pick for the Vice President position.
However, the presence of Vance’s mother and the tributes he paid her were what made his address even more touching.
“Our movement is about single moms like mine, who struggled with money and addiction, but never gave up,” Vance told the ecstatic attendees.
“I’m proud to say that tonight, my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober.”
The crowd chanted “J.D.’s mom, J.D.’s mom when her face appeared on the jumbotron.
The tearful mother, seated in Trump’s family box, leaned to tell House Speaker Mike Johnson: “That’s my boy.”
Trump’s campaign hopes to attract voters from the working class through Vance’s success story.
“I grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, their family, their community, and their country with their whole hearts,” he said.
“But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington.”
Vance went on to blame “career politicians” for adopting policies that add to American families’ struggles.
“President Trump’s vision is simple – we won’t cater to Wall Street, we’ll commit to the working man. We won’t import foreign labor, we’ll fight for American citizens.”
