Key facts
- J.D. Vance delivered a speech at the Republican midterm convention, channeling Donald Trump's rhetoric.
- Vance criticized Democrats, calling them "lunatics" and "radicals."
- He accused Democrats of wanting to destroy the "nuclear American family" and stay away from children.
- Vance echoed Trump's claims that Democrats "cheered" the October 7 massacre of Israelis.
- He suggested a "new generation" of Democrats seek to defund the police and "abolish the border."
- Vance praised Donald Trump as "the toughest SOB in American politics."
Senator J.D. Vance closed out the Republican midterm convention on Thursday night with a speech that echoed Donald Trump's rhetoric and signaled his own presidential aspirations for 2028. Vance, who received chants of "JD, JD" from the crowd, presented himself as a potential heir to Trump, criticizing Democrats as "lunatics" and "radicals" and touting Republican grievances.
Vance accused Democrats of wanting to destroy the "nuclear American family" and stay away from children, and repeated Trump's unsubstantiated claims that some Democrats "cheered" the October 7 massacre of Israelis. He also suggested that a "new generation" of Democrats seek to defund the police and "abolish the border," characterizing their motivation as "a new type of hardcore hatred."
He praised Trump as "the toughest SOB in American politics" and invoked the recent birth of his fourth child, stating he looked at "the future of this country through the eyes of the future of my son." Vance also paid tribute to the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk, whose memory he invoked.
A poll indicated Vance was the favorite choice among likely Republican primary voters for the 2028 nomination, with 43% favoring him, compared to 21% for Marco Rubio and 7% for Donald Trump Jr. Other speakers at the convention included Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Robert F Kennedy Jr, who praised President Trump.