Born into poverty and family turmoil in Middletown, Ohio, JD Vance rose from an Appalachian-influenced upbringing and Marine Corps service to elite education at Ohio State and Yale Law School. His 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy made him a national figure amid debates over white working-class disaffection in the Trump era. After work in venture capital and conservative advocacy, he won an Ohio U.S. Senate seat in 2022 with Donald Trump’s backing. Once a Trump critic, he became a loyal ally, and in 2024 joined Trump’s presidential ticket, becoming vice president in 2025. As a national conservative, he champions hardline cultural, immigration, and foreign policy positions that have drawn both fervent support and intense criticism.