Vance expresses gratitude for Middletown roots in first solo rally as VP nominee

In a story made famous by his book and movie tie-in, Vance hearkened back to his Middletown beginnings. He graduated from Middletown High School in 2003, joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq, going on to study at the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, from which he graduated in 2013.

“A lot of you know the story of my family,” Vance said. “Hell, a lot of you are my family, actually. If you count fourth and fifth cousins, half of you are probably related to me in this room.”

“This town was so good to me,” he added.

Vance’s 2016 best-selling memoir recounting his childhood in Middletown and summers in Eastern Kentucky, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a focus of attention in that year’s presidential campaign and a Ron Howard-directed movie in 2020.

Vance entered politics in 2021, beating former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the 2022 Ohio Senate race, and while still a 39-year-old junior senator, was introduced to the nation on July 15 as Trump’s running mate in the 2024 campaign.

Vance once was strongly critical of Trump, at one point calling him “cultural heroin” and a “fraud.” But he changed his mind about Trump, telling Fox News in 2021: “I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy.”

Since then, Vance has emerged as one of the strongest defenders of what might be seen as Trump’s governing philosophy.

In an unsettled and chaotic presidential campaign, Vance’s ability to communicate the Trump message will be put to the test repeatedly. Shortly after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race Sunday afternoon, Vance took aim at Biden’s vice president on social media, as much of the Democratic Party’s support coalesced around her: “Joe Biden has been the worst president of my lifetime, and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way.”

He struck those themes again on Monday, decrying how Biden withdrew from the race after receiving 14 million primary votes.

“This is not OK, ladies and gentlemen,” Vance said. “You cannot for three-and-a-half years take a guy who clearly didn’t have the mental capacity to do the job. Kamala Harris lied about it. My Senate Democratic colleagues lied about it. The media lied about it. Every single person who saw Joe Biden knew that he wasn’t capable of doing the job, and for three years, they said nothing until he became political deadweight.

“That is not a way to run a country, that is not a way to run a political party, that is an insult to voters,” he added.

Vance said he had a “message” for Democrats who were “disgusted by this process.”

“You are welcome in the Republican Party, where we think we should persuade voters and not lie to voters,” he said. “Come on in, the water is warm.”

Democrats in Vance’s home county on Monday criticized his choice as VP and his appearance Monday.

Not everyone in Butler county is excited about JD Vance coming home,” the Butler County Democrats said on social media. “Vance and Project 2025 are not good for Middletown, Butler County, Ohio or the country.”

Said Vance, “You don’t decide who the president is in smoke-filled rooms, with billionaires and senior elected officials. You let the people decide. That’s what we believe in this room, and that’s what we’re going to fight for, I promise you.”

An Associated Press poll released last week that showed 65% of Democrats believed Biden should exit the race.

Some Democrats said Biden chose to not seek re-election after increasing pressure from lawmakers, donors and fellow party members who expressed grave misgivings about his ability to beat Trump. Those concerns escalated after Biden’s performance in the June 27 debate with Trump in Atlanta. Appearances after the debate did not allay concerns.

In his letter withdrawing from the campaign Sunday, Biden called serving as president “the greatest honor of my life.

“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” the president wrote.

It is the first time a party’s presumptive presidential nominee has stepped away from the race this close to the general election.

While Vance’s address Monday was light on policy details, he said he and Trump would push schools to return to basics, stepping away from what he called “indoctrination” in schools, promised to pursue policies that will lower grocery and energy costs and bolster manufacturing to the United States.

“Let’s make our own stuff, my friends.”

He also pledged to remember ordinary people in Washington, D.C. Said Vance: “I will never forget where I came from. I’m from Middletown, Ohio, and I am proud of it.”

But he asked listeners to help the campaign.

“The next four years we’re going to do a lot of good for this country,” he said. “To get there, the next four months we’ve got to do everything we can.”

Not every Middletown resident was persuaded Monday.

Connie Griffis, a Middletown Democrat, was among a handful of people protesting Vance’s rally Monday.

“He’s a liar. He’s a hypocrite and he is not a good choice for a VP,” Griffis said. “I’ve read his book several times … why is he so bitter about Middletown and all the people who have supported him?”