Trump critic turned 'successor': Novice senator Vance 'doesn't add much to ticket' other than youth

With Trump's running mate JD Vance set to light up the Republican convention, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen and Rob Parsons are joined by Larry Sabato, Founder and Director, Center for Politics, University of Virginia. US Senator JD Vance is set to debut on the national stage in his first address as the Republican vice-presidential nominee -- completing a meteoric rise from humble midwestern beginnings to a coveted spot on Donald Trump's ticket. The one-term senator, who turns 40 next month, would be the third-youngest vice president in history -- and one of the least experienced -- if Trump prevails in his rematch against Biden in November. Vance was an uncompromising "Never Trumper" at the time of his new boss's election win in 2016, labeling the tycoon a "a moral disaster" and comparing him to Adolf Hitler. But he reinvented himself as an ultra-loyal acolyte when he entered politics and ultimately won the ex-president's endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race.