Milwaukee: Donald Trump selected a 39-year-old US Senator James D Vance to serve as his vice presidential running mate, as the Republican Party officially nominated the former president as its 2024 presidential nominee at the start of the party’s national convention in Milwaukee.
“As Vice President, JD will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me Make America Great Again,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The four-day convention opened in downtown Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, and hours after he secured a major legal victory when a federal judge dismissed one of Trump’s criminal prosecutions.
Trump is due to formally accept the party’s nomination in a prime time address on Thursday and will challenge Democratic president Joe Biden in the Nov 5 election.
In the wake of the assassination attempt, Trump said he is revising his acceptance speech to emphasize national unity, rather than highlight his differences with Biden.
VP pick reveals how his Hindu wife helped him
Senator JD Vance, who Trump chose as his running mate, has credited his Hindu wife Usha Chilukuri Vance for shaping his personal and spiritual life. In an interview, he explained how his Indian-origin wife's Hindu faith had been instrumental in helping him navigate challenges and reconcile his Catholic beliefs.
He revealed he "was raised Christian but never baptised. I was first baptised in 2018. Usha was actually raised non-Christian. But I remember when I started to re-engage with my faith, Usha was very supportive," said the 38-year-old. The couple met at Yale Law School and married in Kentucky in 2014.
They had two ceremonies - a traditional wedding ceremony and a separate Hindu ceremony conducted by a Hindu priest, honouring Usha's Hindu heritage. They have three children - Ewan, 6, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel, 2.
Usha, reflecting on her upbringing in a "religious household", attributed her support for Vance's religious journey to her parents' influence. "My parents are Hindu and that's one of the things that made them such good parents and good people. And I have seen the power of that in my own life," said Usha. "And I knew that JD was searching for something. This just felt right for him," she added.
