The official nomination of Trump as the Republican candidate will help attract working-class people

Former US President Donald Trump has won enough delegates at the Republican National Convention to be officially nominated as the party's presidential candidate. Mr. Trump also named Mr. Vance, a 39-year-old senator from Ohio and a leading figure in the Republican Party's new right, as his running mate. Analysts believe that Vance is popular among the Republican base and will help increase the turnout of Republican voters, but because of his conservative stance, he is unlikely to attract a large number of new voters for Trump.

Donald Trump, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, appeared with gauze on his right ear as the Republican National Convention opened Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced at the convention that he formally nominated Trump and James David Vance as presidential and vice presidential candidates.

This is Trump's third bid for the White House after being elected president in 2016 and losing his re-election bid in 2020. "After careful consideration and consideration of many other outstanding talents, I have determined that Senator Vance from the great State of Ohio is best suited to serve as Vice President of the United States," Trump announced on his Social media platform, Truth Social, earlier in the day.

Born into a poor family in Ohio, Vance served in the Marine Corps and worked as a lawyer and venture capitalist. In 2016, he published a memoir about his tough upbringing in America's "Rust Belt", a region of industrial decline since the 1980s. The book catapulted him to become a bestselling writer.

In 2022, Vance was elected to the Senate and entered politics as a leading figure of the new right. The New Right is a group of right-wing intellectuals and activists who began to coalesce late in the Trump administration. Their positions are broadly in line with Trump's, including embracing economic nationalism, vehemently opposing immigration and questioning U.S. military involvement abroad, but their support for these policies stems from niche theories. Examples include "post-liberalism" influenced by Catholicism, conservative populism and localism, and various new reactionary ideas that are prevalent on the Internet.

With Vance as Trump's running mate, it is clear that the New Right, originally a fringe faction of the Republican Party, has risen dramatically to become a key force in the Republican Party. Compared with 78-year-old Trump, 81-year-old Democratic President Joe Biden and 59-year-old Vice President Harris, Vance, who is less than 40 years old, is a new generation of politicians, but also the first millennial generation is expected to enter the top leadership of the United States.

Mr. Vance, once a fierce critic of Mr. Trump, has become a loyal ally. He is expected to help boost turnout among right-wing voters, especially in Rust Belt states that could swing the election, but he could also cause Trump to lose some more moderate voters and women.

Prior to the speculation of Trump's deputy candidates as many as 10 or more people, of which Vance, North Dakota Governor Bergham and Florida Senator Rubio the most vocal.

CNN quoted news reports that Vance eventually stood out with the support of Trump's eldest son, Trump Jr., Trump's former adviser Bannon, and conservative commentator Carson. They believe Mr. Vance has the best relationship with Mr. Trump and would be the most loyal deputy. Moreover, his pedigree is more appealing to working-class voters, a group that is crucial to winning key states. In addition, Vance's wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, is of Indian immigrant descent, which could also help attract minority voters.

Trump's deputy choice signals break with foreign policy conservatism

Bloomberg analysis pointed out that Trump's deputy selection shows that he has completely broken with the old wing of the Republican foreign policy. "It shows that he is looking for someone who affirms his views, not someone who disagrees with him, at least when it comes to Ukraine, NATO and foreign policy," said Ivo Daalder, a former ambassador to NATO in the Obama administration.

Biden described Vance's policy proposals as a "clone of Trump." The Biden campaign described Vance as a "far-right MAGA" (an acronym for Trump's political slogan "Make America Great Again") extremist who previously talked about labor rights but now wants to raise taxes on middle-class families and push for tax cuts for the wealthy. According to CNN, Democrats are likely to attack Vance over his stance on abortion and his past criticism of Trump.

Mr. Vance, a former venture capitalist, is a bridge between the Trump camp and Silicon Valley financiers, so major Silicon Valley investors welcomed Mr. Trump's choice of him as his deputy.

Musk, the US electric car giant, described the combination of Trump and Vance on the social media platform X as "going to win big." David Sacks, an Internet technology investor, called Mr. Vance an "American patriot."