Episode description
From ‘hillbilly’ roots to becoming Donald Trump’s nominee for vice-president. At 39, if JD Vance is elected, he would be one of America’s youngest ever Vice-Presidents. A lot has been laid bare in his own words, in ‘Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis’. He talks about being raised by his grandparents who moved from the Appalachian Mountains area of Kentucky to Ohio, to a Middle America Rust Belt town looking for a better life. His mother struggled with drug addiction and a string of chaotic relationships. So how did he go from a sometimes unstable, sometimes violent, upbringing to being in the running to take one of the highest offices in American politics? There’s another transformation many wonder about too: why did he change his mind on Trump? Only in 2016 JD Vance said ‘I can't stomach Trump. I think that he's noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.’ Mark Coles finds out.
CONTRIBUTORS Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of the state of Ohio Hayley Bemiller, Reporter on Ohio newspaper the Columbus Dispatch Josh Glancy, Editor of News Review at The Sunday Times Michael Hartley, President Swing State Strategies Bryan Lanza, former member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team
PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Phoebe Keane, Diane Richardson Editor: Penny Murphy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
CREDIT NPR Fresh Air