Trump-Vance administration ‘sounds just right’, says Hungarian PM aide
An adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has welcomed the news that JD Vance has been appointed Donald Trump’s running mate.
“A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right,” Balazs Orban wrote in a post to X congratulating Mr Vance.
The vice-presidential nominee has previously shown support for some of Viktor Orban’s nationalist policies, including a change to higher education regulation which gave the government more control over what is taught.
Mr Trump is a long-time ally of the Hungarian leader. The pair met in Florida last week to discuss the “possibilities of peace” in Ukraine after a major NATO summit in Washington.
‘The buck stops with me,’ Secret Service director says on Trump shooting
The director of the US Secret Service has said the “buck stops with me” after Donald Trump was shot during a rally at the weekend.
Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News that the service was accountable for protecting Mr Trump and as director she bore ultimate responsibility for what it did.
She said her first response the news of the shooting was “shock and then concern”. The incident was “unacceptable” and “something that shouldn’t happen again”, she said.
Her interview with the network comes as officials demand to know how a gunman was able to get on top of a building and shoot the former president.
Ms Cheatle said she appreciated a vote of confidence by Alejandro Mayorkas, the head of US homeland security, and said she has no plans to leave her position.
ICYMI: Trump picks running mate who once compared him to Hitler
Donald Trump has announced an Ohio senator who once compared him to Hitler as his running mate for November’s US election.
JD Vance, a 39-year-old former venture capitalist, will become vice president if Mr Trump wins November’s election.
The former president made the announcement on his social network, Truth Social.
Ohio-born Mr Vance, a New York Times best-selling author, entered into the world of venture capitalism after graduating from Yale Law School.
Read more here…
UK government ‘disagrees’ with Vance ‘Islamist country’ comments
A UK minister has said his government “disagrees” with JD Vance’s view that the UK is the first “Islamist country” with nuclear weapons – but that the bond between Britain and the US is “more important than any individuals”.
James Murray, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, was asked by Sky News’ Kay Burley whether he was alarmed by Mr Vance’s comments last week (see 7.40 post).
He replied that he didn’t know what Mr Vance meant by his remarks “and obviously we disagree on those particular comments that he’s made”.
“But the relationship between the UK and the US is more important than any individuals,” Mr Murray added. “It’s about the relationship between our countries, which goes back so long and which is so important for our security, for our national security and for economic growth.”
The minister said the government was proud of the UK’s diversity, adding: “I don’t really know how that comment fits in.”
‘Disaster for Ukraine’: Trump’s VP pick is against US aid
As we’ve been reporting, Donald Trump has chosen JD Vance as his vice-presidential nominee in his bid to return to the White House.
Mr Vance is aligned with Donald Trump’s populist mindset and will likely be palatable to his base – perhaps even as a potential successor one day.
But as one of the most isolationist members of the Republican Party, his appointment is seen by some as a worrying move for Europe.
Mr Vance has been vocal in his opposition to US support for Ukraine and played a key role in trying to scrap the long-delayed security bill which included a $60bn military aid package for Kyiv.
One senior European Union official told Politico that the Ohio senator’s pick as running mate spelt “disaster” for Ukraine – and by extension for the EU.
At the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Mr Vance skipped a meeting with top Ukrainian officials and told a European audience that the US should reassess its support for Ukraine.
He also criticised what he said was Europe’s over-dependence on Washington for security, as well as saying he did not believe Vladimir Putin posed an “existential threat” to the continent.
While he doesn’t believe the US should pull out of NATO, Mr Vance has said that the US should focus “more on East Asia”, which he said will be “the future of American foreign policy for the next 40 years”.
In February, he declined to condemn Mr Trump for saying he could “encourage” Mr Putin to attack America’s NATO allies if they failed to increase their defence spending.
Trump ‘wise’ to pick ‘youthful’ Vance as vice-presidential nominee, commentators say
Donald Trump made a “wise choice” in picking 39-year-old JD Vance as his running mate and injecting some “youth” into the Republican campaign, a US political commentator has said.
Reacting to Mr Trump’s pick for running mate, Scottie Nell Hughes said it was “an interesting choice, but when you’re dealing with two older white gentlemen, let’s bring some youth to the ticket”.
Calling it a “wise choice” to bring in Mr Vance, Ms Hughes told Sky News that the Republican base was “enthused” by the announcement last night.
She added it was not just about 2024, but also a look ahead to the 2028 election.
“JD Vance has become the heir apparent to the White House,” she said.
“Whether we’re talking about Republicans or Democrats right now, this is not just a one- or two-year cycle. We’re looking ahead to the next 10 years about what to forecast for the Republican Party.”
Giving his view, commentator Calvin Dark agreed it was a “smart choice” for Mr Trump.
“I think it particularly addresses the areas where the Biden campaign is weak,” he said, adding that Mr Vance was “really good at communicating his message… whether you agree with him or not”.
Vance ‘overwhelmed with gratitude’
JD Vance says he is “overwhelmed with gratitude” after being named the vice-presidential nominee by Donald Trump.
In a post to X, Mr Vance said it was “an honour” to run alongside the former president.
Trump’s running mate referred to UK as ‘first Islamist country to get nuclear weapon’
Donald Trump’s new running mate for the November election previously joked the UK was the first “Islamist country” to get a nuclear weapon.
A clip has been posted online of JD Vance making the comments last week at the National Conservatism conference in Washington.
Speaking to the audience, Mr Vance recalled a conversation with a friend in which they were talking about “nuclear proliferation” as “one of the big dangers in the world”.
“I was talking about what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon. We were like, ‘Maybe it’s Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts,’” he said.
“And we sort of finally decided maybe it’s the UK, since Labour just took over. But to our Tory friends I’ve got to say, you guys have got to get a handle on this.”
Mr Trump announced the 39-year-old Ohio senator as his running mate despite Mr Vance once describing him as an “idiot” and “America’s Hitler”.
Watch: Trump arrives at Republican National Convention
Donald Trump made a jubilant return to the spotlight yesterday after surviving an attempt on his life by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks on Saturday.
He smiled, waved and pumped his fist as walked into an arena in Milwaukee to huge cheers and applause – his ear heavily bandaged from being hit by a bullet.