Meeting J.D. Vance

AUTHOR VANCE

When Donald Trump won the US presidential election on November 8, 2016, many people tried to understand the factors behind this victory. I was one of those people. I was happy to hear the recommendation from political scientist Prof. Dr. Ersin Kalaycıoğlu to read J.D. Vance's book "Hillbilly Elegy." The book was, in a sense, an explanation that demonstrated the high level of Trump's popularity at that time. This is how I met J.D. Vance, the candidate whom Trump recently selected for the position of US Vice President and about whom international media has been talking for several days.

In his memoirs, J.D. Vance describes his childhood, which was not easy, having been raised by a mother struggling with addiction and a father who abandoned the family when J.D. was a child. He was raised by his grandparents, whom he describes only with love and sympathy. At the same time, he recounts the socioeconomic problems of the poor white working class in America. These problems contribute to the rise of Trump's popularity. In 2016, the book "Hillbilly Elegy" became a bestseller and was subsequently adapted for the big screen by director Ron Howard. The book had entered the bestseller lists when it was published in 2016, and after Trump announced J.D. Vance as his vice-presidential candidate, the book returned to the number 1 spot on Amazon's bestseller list.

The book "Hillbilly Elegy" not only made him a bestselling author but also turned him into a sought-after commentator frequently called upon to interpret why Donald Trump was preferred by white working-class voters.

POLITICIAN VANCE

Following Vance's appointment as vice president, many commentators analyzed the political trajectory he has followed. Over 8 years, Vance's political discourse shifted from an "anti-Trump" stance to "making America great again" alongside Trump. In 2016, Vance stated that he did not like Trump at all, calling him an "idiot" or "America's Hitler." In 2017, Vance stated that he thought Obama was an exemplary politician worth following with admiration. That same year, he published an article in the New York Times titled "Barack Obama and Me." On July 1, 2021, when Vance announced his campaign for the Senate in Ohio, he said the following about Trump: "He is the best president of my lifetime."

Growing up in a working-class family in Ohio, Vance wrote in the preface of his memoir in 2016: "I will be the first to admit that I have accomplished nothing great in my life." Eight years after this preface, he received an offer for the position of US Vice President from Trump.

European officials reacted to the appointment of Vance as vice president with the thought that his arrival would be a "disaster for Ukraine." Russia welcomed his appointment as vice president. Vance is one of the leading critics of US support for Ukraine. In an interview, he stated that he did not care about what happens in Ukraine. European officials are panicking about a second Trump presidency and its impact on US foreign policy. J.D. Vance is a proponent of isolationist foreign policies and was one of the senators who opposed the $61 billion aid package to Ukraine. He has frequently criticized what he sees as Europe's excessive dependence on the US for security. Vance has an interesting view on Putin. He believes that Russian President Putin is not an existential threat to Europe, that Americans and Europeans cannot provide enough ammunition for Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, and that the war should end with a "negotiated peace." This means that if Trump wins the election, Russia and Ukraine should sit at the negotiating table. At the foreign policy level, Vance believes that the US should "focus more on East Asia." He said, "The future of American foreign policy for the next 40 years will be East Asia, and Europe needs to wake up." His stance on the Gaza war is also quite interesting, as he introduced bills to block federal funding to universities where camps and protests against Israel's war in Gaza are held.

Although the far-right Vance states that he is of Scots-Irish descent and is married to an Indian woman, he has declared his opposition to immigration policies. Vance also states that he is against abortion.

We must admit that J.D. Vance is as mysterious as he is an interesting political figure. Those who read his memoirs can better understand the reasons behind this person's rapid professional rise. That is why I recommend reading his book. A victory by Trump and his team in the presidential race this autumn could represent a turning point both domestically and at the level of US foreign policy.