Turns out there isn’t anybody more loyal than Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr’s friend who has an Indian wife! The story goes that Trump saw ‘JD’ the first time and he exclaimed, “A young Abraham Lincoln!” But the story also goes that JD Vance got a good look at Trump the first time, and he abhorred Trump. JD Vance's Indian wife even more so.

In fact, Vance's lawyer wife, whom he met at Yale, called Trump "America's Hitler" and JD Vance did not file for divorce! Instead, he kept to his low opinion of Trump and wrote a bestseller to make a name for himself. The tables turned when Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., read JD Vance's memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" and became a fierce admirer of the book and the author.

Junior Trump and JD Vance met and the friendship thickened. Before long Trump was being introduced to JD Vance and the Ohioan was angling to become a Senator. Trump picked JD Vance for VP for a variety of reasons, including perhaps because Vance was a ‘Lincoln lookalike.’ The 39-year-old Vance shares Ohio with Indian-American and retired hurt presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. The two of them were together at Yale and Vivek Ramaswamy was thinking of becoming Trump's Vice President when JD Vance was nowhere in the frame.

Vivek impressed Trump with his quick-silver tongue even as Nikki Haley, another Indian American, riled Trump with her critical comments of Trump. On July 16, soon after Trump picked Vance for VP-pick, Vivek Ramaswamy said he had spoken to Trump and was “inspired by the image of Trump with his fist raised and bloodied face”. Vivek still hopes to be somebody in the Trump administration if Trump rides the raised fist to the White House.

But JD Vance is the lucky Ohioan and while Democrats are already unpacking Trump’s VP pick with a tooth comb, Republicans can’t stop calling Trump a genius for zeroing in on the most “MAGA-MAGA” VP candidate among all those in the running. 'JD' is a Marine veteran who served in “I-raq” and then graduated from Ohio State University before going to Yale Law School and becoming a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.

The United States is a “land of opportunities” and both Vivek and JD Vance are examples of “grabbing the opportunities”. ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ hit the stands in 2016 when Trump was running for president for the first time and JD Vance considered Trump a misfit, a thought he spoke aloud. Lots of people heard him with JD Vance’s Indian wife turning out to be the most critical, calling Trump “America's Hitler”.

Till the time when JD Vance took a shine for the “@realDonaldTrump” and Vance became Trump’s unofficial spokesperson among the working class and rural white folk. JD Vance was on his way to become a politician and a Senator and 'Hillbilly Elegy' was Vance’s ticket to Trump’s inner circle with Donald Trump Jr as his most fervent advocate.

JD Vance has been US Senator for 18 months so far. There is every chance he may not make it to two years if the Trump-Vance ticket bags the presidency in November and JD Vance becomes one of the youngest VPs in American history. Somewhere on him Vance must have a birthmark which has marked him for greatness.

If Trump "makes President for a second term" with Vance as his Vice President, JD Vance will be the automatic US presidential candidate after Trump’s is finished with his second term. Also, Donald Trump is getting on in age and the future is unpredictable. JD Vance’s journey from ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ to Vice President will be told and retold if and when JD Vance becomes the Republican Party's presidential candidate after Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, there are people who don’t have a high opinion of JD Vance, Democrats mostly, who they see as a meaner version of President Donald Trump; intractable, with "extremist ideas". These folk say Donald Trump picked JD Vance to take on Trump’s enemies. “He’s been asked to help Donald Trump avenge his (2020) loss,” read a headline to a story that appeared within hours of Donald Trump announcing JD Vance's name for his VP pick.

James David Vance is the tip of Trump's javelin and he wouldn't be a political unknown for long. Vance will be selling his ideas to the American voters and after Trump dodged the bullet that nicked his ear, there is talk of “unity” being heard; of Trump’s quest to talk the language of reconciliation with Vance helping Donald with the key vote-banks including those on the fence and independents.

The younger Vance is expected to be a fit foil for the aging yet energetic Trump. That being said, the 2024 US presidential election is different, not the least because of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump that failed despite the sitting duck advantage the assassin held. American democracy did not fare well is one opinion and the political violence seen in recent years has put a question mark on the future. For many, 2024 has just begun and there’s a lot more of it still left.

Amidst all this, there is talk of chemistry between Trump and Vance. The two have bonded and “share a strong rapport” and whoever said Donald Trump has a liking for Indian Americans hit the nail on the head. In 2016, Vance was a “Never-Trumper”. Vance’s Indian-American wife Usha Chilukuri was an even bigger “Never Trumper”. For Usha Chilukuri Vance, Donald Trump was “America’s Hitler”. The hi-fi lawyer and mother of three took potshots at Trump and never withheld from criticizing Trump’s "racist rhetoric".

But Usha Chilukuri turned out to be the typical desi chameleon. After Vance became senator, Usha along with her husband became top supporters of “America's Hitler”. On July 16, after JD Vance was named Trump’s VP pick, Usha Chilukuri quit her high-profile job and left. What is striking is that "Donald Trump" and “Indian-American” is an “old normal” after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugged President Donald Trump’s India-US policies. Don’t be surprised if Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the homes of Usha Chilukuri’s relatives in India if his "friend" Donald Trump makes it to the White House once again! (IPA Service)