From Middletown, Ohio to the Marine Corps, Yale Law and the Vice Presidency — and, many hope, the next chapter.
With Second Lady Usha Vance, Greenland, March 2025 · Office of the Vice President (public domain) · credits
His story
Middletown to the White House
JD Vance was born on 2 August 1984 in Middletown, Ohio, a manufacturing town between Dayton and Cincinnati. His childhood was hard — money was short and home life unsteady — and it was his grandparents, above all his grandmother “Mamaw”, who gave him stability and pushed him forward.
After Middletown High School he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and served four years, including a tour in Iraq as a combat correspondent. He went on to Ohio State University on the GI Bill, graduating summa cum laude in 2009, and then to Yale Law School, where he met Usha Chilukuri.
His 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, became a #1 bestseller and a 2020 film directed by Ron Howard. After law and a career investing in Midwest start-ups — he co-founded Narya Capital in Cincinnati — Ohio elected him to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
On 15 July 2024, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Donald Trump named him his running mate. On 20 January 2025 he was sworn in as the 50th Vice President — the first millennial and the first Marine Corps veteran to hold the office — on a Bible that had belonged to his great-grandmother, given to him by Mamaw when he left for the Marines.
A convert to the Catholic faith in 2019, he wrote about that journey in his second book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith (2026).
Family
JD & Usha Vance
JD and Usha met at Yale Law School and married in 2014. Second Lady Usha Vance studied history at Yale, earned a master’s at Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, and went on to clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts and for Brett Kavanaugh and Amul Thapar on the federal appeals and district courts before practising as a litigator. She is the first Indian American Second Lady.
On Inauguration Day, Usha held the family Bible as Justice Kavanaugh administered the oath, with their children beside them. The Vances are parents to four: Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and Alec, who was born on 19 July 2026.
The oath of office, U.S. Capitol — 20 January 2025. Office of the Vice President (public domain) · credits
Looking ahead
2028: the next chapter?
Vice President Vance has said he will sit down with President Trump to talk about 2028 after the 2026 midterms — he has not announced a run. President Trump has called him “most likely” the movement’s heir and described a Vance–Rubio ticket as a “dream team”, while adding that it is “way too early” to endorse anyone.
Until then, plenty of supporters are already flying the flag — see the Vance 2028 gear below.
The first dance, Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball — 20 January 2025. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Campbell (public domain) · creditsPresident Trump congratulates his Vice President — 20 January 2025. Office of the Vice President (public domain) · creditsDinner at the Naval Observatory — 3 October 2025. Office of the Vice President (public domain) · creditsAmericaFest, Phoenix — December 2025. Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 · creditsTurning Point tour, University of Mississippi — 29 October 2025. Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 · credits
JD Vance merch
Trump–Vance, Vance 2028 & his books
The official Trump–Vance store items, his two books from HarperCollins, and fan-made Vance 2028 gear. Fan-made items are independent — he has not announced a 2028 campaign.
Flags & Signs Official
Trump Vance Flag, 3x5
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
3x5 ft Trump-Vance flag from the official MAGA Gear store.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
White Trump-Vance MAGA cap. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Trump-Vance Make America Great Again White T-Shirt
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
White Trump-Vance MAGA tee. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
3x5 ft Trump-Vance flag. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Trump-Vance Make America Great Again Blue Yard Sign 22"x15"
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
Blue Trump-Vance yard sign. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Trump-Vance Make America Great Again Bumper Stickers (Set of 2)
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
Two 9x3 in Trump-Vance bumper stickers. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Trump-Vance Make America Great Again White Coffee Mug
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
White Trump-Vance MAGA coffee mug. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Trump-Vance Make America Great Again 3" Buttons (Set of 2)
Trump National Committee JFC (WinRED storefront)
Pair of 3-inch Trump-Vance campaign buttons. Official Trump-Vance item from the MAGA Gear store (Trump National Committee JFC on WinRED). Purchases are political contributions and are not tax deductible.
WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
JD Vance's 2016 #1 bestselling memoir of growing up between Middletown, Ohio and his grandparents' Kentucky roots. Paperback, hardcover, large print, e-book and audio.
$17.60–$27.20 (HarperCollins site price)as of 10 Oct 2026
Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith (J. D. Vance)
HarperCollins (Harper)
Vice President Vance's 2026 book on his return to Christianity and conversion to Catholicism (published June 16, 2026). Hardcover, large print, e-book and audio.
$35 hardcover (HarperCollins site price)as of 10 Oct 2026
Prices and links checked on 10 Oct 2026. Prices change — confirm on the seller’s site. Buying happens on the seller’s site, not here. WinRED store purchases are political contributions.
Our Gear · coming soon
Our own Vance line
For the Vice President today — and, supporters hope, the President tomorrow. Coming soon; get the launch e-mail.
Coming soon
T-shirts · Printed in the USA
The Sequel: Vance 2028 Tee
“The Sequel Vance 2028” — print on a tee. For the Vice President today — and, supporters hope, tomorrow.