A few years ago, author JD Vance projected himself as an opponent of Trump. Now he wants to win the Republican primary in Ohio and move to the Senate in the fall — with Trump’s help. Where does change of heart come from?

A hip brewery in an otherwise desolate strip mall in Cincinnati, in the middle of the Rust Belt of the United States. JD (short for James David) Vance is completing one of his final campaign dates.

Claudia Surrey
ARD studio Washington

The 37-year-old Republican comes across as easygoing. His wife and daughter lived nearby and so moved in with him, he says: “Of course the baby cried in the car when my cell phone rang. And who was that? Donald J. Trump.” The former President of the United States of America just wanted to let them know that everything was going well.

In fact, the father of three, financial investor and bestselling author is clearly ahead in the polls. He was shocked that Trump publicly expressed his support for him – even though Vance had openly criticized the former president only a few years earlier. After that, in 2016, his book “Hillbilly Elegy” was published – a novel about growing up in a broken white underclass family.

Change of mind – and change of image

At the time, Vance didn’t mince his words: “I can’t stand Trump, I think he’s evil and he’s taking the white working class into a very dark place,” he said.

Vance was seen as someone who understood the needs of the working class. He himself was a political commentator before joining politics. Now, six years later, he describes himself as an ardent Trump supporter. “You know what: I was wrong about him. He was a great president and I’ve supported him for many years now,” he said in Cincinnati.

His rivals in the Republican Party – Matt Dolan and Josh Mandel – accuse him of hypocrisy. But JD Vance is proud that Trump supports him.

His new attitude is reflected on the outside as well. He used to have soft features, but today he tries to give more contour to his round face with a beard. With a crisp white shirt and dark blue jacket, he’s almost imitating Trump’s son Don Jr., who helped him campaign in Ohio.

Trump Support Scores in Ohio

However, his political position is well known: against abortion, against immigration, for guns and for “America First”. “I think it’s sickening that Joe Biden wants to send $33 billion to Ukraine while Donald Trump hasn’t got $4 billion for his border wall in four years,” he said.

Sherry, an older woman with pink lipstick and backcombed hair, agrees with Vance: “I’m about the line, I’m about the carrying guns.” Trump supporters from the suburb of Dayton came to the brewery only because Trump recommended Vance and she wanted to meet him.

A lot of people here think like Sherry: Ohio is Trump country. So JD Vance has a good chance of winning the election and possibly being elected senator in the midterm election.

The primary election in Ohio is only the beginning of a whole series of “priorities” that will show just how much influence Trump still has in the party.