Donald Trump has announced that Ohio Senator JD Vance will be his running mate.
The former president and Republican standard-bearer revealed his pick on Truth Social on Monday afternoon.
This comes just days after the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The ex-commander-in-chief was struck in the ear by a bullet but otherwise escaped unscathed.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents, but not before he had shot dead one bystander and critically injured two more.
Bloody but unbowed, Trump can now expect a hero’s welcome when he appears in Milwaukee – despite recently referring to the city as “horrible” – and has already revealed that he has completely revised his keynote speech to reflect a new message of national unity in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Watch live: RNC takes place in Wisconsin where Trump will accept Republican nomination
Watch live as the Republican National Convention takes place in Wisconsin on Monday (15 July) where Donald Trump is expected to accept the Republican nomination.
Lucy Leeson15 July 2024 19:32
Trump announces former critic JD Vance as his running mate
Former president Donald Trump has announced Senator JD Vance — who came to prominence as a critic of Trump’s but emerged as an outspoken MAGA warrior — as his running mate.
Trump announced his new running mate on the first day of the Republican National Convention, following a dramatic weekend during which shots were fired at a rally in Pennsylvania. A spectator at the Trump rally was killed and another left critically injured during the assassination attempt on the former president; Trump was left bloodied, with an injury to his ear. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was also killed by Secret Service.
Eric Garcia15 July 2024 20:10
Pictured: Merchandise stand at RNC sells felon-themed Trump T-shirts
Gustaf Kilander15 July 2024 20:00
Kennedy praises Trump for calling for Secret Service protection for challenger
Gustaf Kilander15 July 2024 20:00
Former Trump White House staffer weighs in on possible VP picks
Gustaf Kilander15 July 2024 19:52
JD Vance is ‘99 percent’ certain to be Trump’s running mate, campaign source says
Former president Donald Trump is likely to have settled on Ohio Senator JD Vance as his choice to serve as vice president, should he clinch the White House in the next presidential election.
The ex-president is set to announce his choice on Monday afternoon at the opening session of this year’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sources involved with the Trump campaign have told The Independent that they are “99 percent sure” that the 39-year-old Ivy League graduate will get the nod.
After a gunman fired several rifle shots at Trump at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Vance took an aggressive stance. On Twitter/X, he blamed remarks by senior Democrats — including President Biden — for inciting the attack which led to the death of one man at the event, critical injuries to two more and and an injury to the former president.
David Maddox, Andrew Feinberg, Eric Garcia15 July 2024 19:44
I’m from the same place as JD Vance and there will be nothing to celebrate if he becomes Trump’s VP
It was an attack on the very fabric of American democracy.
Political violence has become a norm in our divided and beleaguered nation. From the 2011 attack on Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to the 2017 shooting of Republican Steve Scalise to the attack last year on Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, to this weekend’s horrific attack which left one of our fellow citizens dead, we are increasingly solving our differences not with ballots and votes, but bullets and violence.
Skylar Baker-Jordan15 July 2024 19:30
Rubio and Burgum told they’re not VP pick, Trump’s choice to be revealed this afternoon
Florida Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor have been told that neither of them is the pick for vice president.
Ohio Senator JD Vance and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin are also present in Milwaukee.
Trump has made his choice, who will reportedly be present as the nominating process begins at 4.37pm ET.
Gustaf Kilander15 July 2024 19:17
Trump shooter bought 50 rounds of ammo hours before assassination attempt and had transmitter on him
Senior law enforcement officials told CNN that Crooks bought a large amount of ammo from a local gun store shortly before the attack. The Independent has asked the FBI for more information.
Crooks used a legally purchased, AR-style rifle with 5.56-caliber bullets in the shooting. Federal law enforcement believes that the gun belonged to Crooks’ father.
Ariana Baio15 July 2024 19:00