J.D. Vance’s meteoric rise to power reached new heights as he was sworn in as the 50th vice president of the United States.
Vance took the oath of office, administered by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, putting him in line to carry the torch of the MAGA movement four years from now.
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He is the first millennial vice president and, at age 40, the third-youngest man to hold the office. Vance is also one heartbeat away from the Oval Office as Donald Trump, 78, surpasses outgoing Joe Biden as the oldest person to become president.
Vance’s swearing-in was part of a whirlwind 48 hours back in Washington, D.C., that included a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Han Zheng.
The night before, he hosted members of Trump’s future Cabinet with his wife Usha at a black-tie dinner at the National Gallery of Art.
Vance’s family accompanied him onstage Monday as he was sworn in, with his daughter seen sucking her thumb in the arms of Usha. The Bible used in that ceremony is an heirloom given to him years earlier by his “Mamaw,” who helped raise Vance as his mother struggled with drug addiction.
Vance’s inauguration is a remarkable turn of events for a self-described hillbilly from Ohio who once called Trump “reprehensible.”
He worked his way into Trump’s inner circle through Donald Trump Jr. and a cadre of allies, including mentor and megadonor Peter Thiel.
The detente culminated in Vance’s election to the U.S. Senate in 2022, with Trump’s endorsement propelling him to the front of a crowded GOP primary.
He was chosen as Trump’s running mate after two years of unflinching loyalty on Capitol Hill.
Trump could have picked a more pragmatic choice, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum considered Republicans who would broaden his appeal.
But Trump selected Vance, whose alignment on policy and personality gives him the best chance of continuing his populist agenda after he finishes his second term.
Vance has leaned into Trump’s hard-line rhetoric on immigration and skepticism of intervention on the world stage.
Vance enters the vice presidency the prohibitive favorite to succeed Trump, who is term-limited, but there is no guarantee he will have an open field should he decide to run in 2028.
Past aspirants to the presidency, including Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), have refashioned their political message to appeal to Trump’s base of MAGA faithful as well.
Vance will spend the next four years proving he can be a constant in Trump’s sprawling and often tumultuous political orbit.
He attended the wreath-laying ceremony with Trump this weekend but was not invited onstage with Trump at the pre-inauguration rally on Sunday.
Instead, Trump brought up Elon Musk, the billionaire head of his cost-cutting commission who will reportedly take up office space in the White House complex.
Trump is also known for giving out his personal number freely to lawmakers and political allies — and for weighing more heavily the advice of the last person who has his ear.
Biden, in deciding to become former President Barack Obama’s vice president, demanded that he be the “last person in the room,” a courtesy Biden extended to his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Vance must now attempt to secure the same role as he navigates competing power centers in Trumpworld.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who attended Trump’s inauguration, became a loyal foot soldier in his first term and enjoyed a close relationship with Trump. But his refusal to help him overturn the 2020 election in his role as vice president severed that relationship and led to Pence’s political downfall.
Vance has said he would have asked for new electoral slates instead of certifying the 2020 election.
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Vance built his short political career on the strength of Trump’s coattails, but he garnered nationwide attention years earlier for his bestselling book Hillbilly Elegy.
The themes of that memoir, including the hallowing out of Rust Belt manufacturing and his own rise-from-adversity story coming from a broken home, were central to his campaign message as he stumped for Trump in the 2024 election.
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