Sen. Lindsey Graham lauds Trump’s VP pick: ‘This is a clear choice for America’  

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praised former President Donald Trump for selecting Ohio JD Vance as his 2024 running mate on Monday.

Trump announced the pick on Truth Social on the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, just before the Ohio delegation’s roll call vote.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote.

Shortly after, Graham called the Trump-Vance ticket a “clear choice” for the country

“Bright, articulate, and a Marine veteran, he will serve President Trump well on the campaign trail,” Graham wrote on X, adding that Vance is a “hard worker with a beautiful family who will be a great spokesperson for the America First agenda.”

The South Carolina senator also highlighted 39-year-old Vance’s personal story.

Vance made a name for himself with his memoir, the 2016 bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was published as Trump was first running for president. The book earned Vance a reputation as someone who could help explain the maverick New York businessman’s appeal in middle America, especially among the working-class, rural white voters who helped Trump win the presidency.

After Donald Trump won the 2016 election, Vance returned to his native Ohio and set up an anti-opioid charity. He also took to the lecture circuit and was a favored guest at Republican Lincoln Day dinners where his story — including the hardship Vance endured because of his mother’s drug addiction — resonated.

“[Vance] has one of the most compelling stories in American politics, overcoming so much adversity in life,” Graham said. “He understands the struggles of working Americans, as he has walked in their shoes and has become on their best champions.”

The vice-presidential announcement comes just days after an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump said the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting.  

An emotional Graham, who has maintained a close yet turbulent relationship with the former president, appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” the next day.

“We need to do some soul-searching as a nation,” Graham said, adding that the political rhetoric has gotten “way too hot.”

Graham shared that he was supposed to play golf with Trump on Sunday morning and was asked what message he would give the former president.

“I’m grateful you weren’t hurt any worse, and I love you,” he responded.

What other South Carolina leaders are saying

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) wrote on X that Trump had an “excellent and highly qualified” group to choose from and said Vance would help “carry [the party’s] momentum” into November.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R), who is seeking reelection in the First Congressional District, also congratulated Vance on X.

The Associated Press contributed.