JD Vance accepts Republican VP nomination, pledges to 'put America first' alongside Trump

Ohio Senator JD Vance, the running mate of former President Donald Trump for the November presidential race, formally accepted the Republican nomination for the post of vice president Wednesday, saying he will work to "put the citizens of America first."

"I stand here humbled, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to say I officially accept your nomination to be vice president of the United States of America," Vance said during his first address at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance, 39, began taking aim at Joe Biden's policies, saying the Democratic president hurt towns like his hometown as well as those in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

"Somehow, a real estate developer from New York City by the name of Donald J. Trump was right on all of these issues while Biden was wrong...Joe Biden screwed up, and my community paid the price," he said.

He said the US was flooded with cheap Chinese goods, with cheap foreign labor, and in the decades to come, deadly Chinese fentanyl, stressing that the country needs leaders "who would put America first."

- MADE IN USA

Vance also stressed that the administration under Trump will stamp more and more products with the label Made in USA in factories and put people to work making real products for American families.

"We will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens," he said.

He also said he will make sure that US allies share in the burden of securing world peace, adding there will be "no more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer."

"Together, we will send our kids to war only when we must. But as President Trump showed with the elimination of ISIS and so much more, when we punch, we're going to punch hard," he said.

"Together, we will put the citizens of America first, whatever the color of their skin. We will make America great again," Vance added.

He also drew attention to the differences of opinions, saying there might be disagreements about how best to reinvigorate American industry and renew the American family.

"That's fine. In fact, it's more than good. But never forget that the reason why this united Republican Party exists, why we do this, why we care about those great ideas and that great history is that we want this nation to thrive for centuries to come now," he said.

Vance pledged allegiance to Trump, promising to be a vice president who remembers his roots and works tirelessly for all Americans.

"Mr. President, I will never take for granted the trust you have put in me. And what an honor it is to help achieve the extraordinary vision that you have for this country. Now I pledge to every American, no matter your party, I will give you everything I have," he concluded.

Trump announced Monday that Vance will be his 2024 running mate, on the first day of the Republican National Convention when the party formally nominated Trump as its presidential nominee ahead of November's presidential election.

A former marine, Vance has staked out his position as a firebrand populist during his roughly three years in the Senate. He has become a staunch supporter of Trump's agenda after initially being a fierce critic of the former president.