JD Vance’s stand on key issues as Donald Trump picks his running mate: From abortion bans to Ukraine to Israel

JD Vance, former US President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, closely aligned with the former over several issues related to abortion, immigration, and the Russia-Ukraine war, among other topics. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden shared a video with snippets from Vance's comments on some of these issues.

Biden alleged that Ohio senator JD Vance "belittled women", "criticizes exception for rape and incest surviviors" and "supports a national abortion ban". The clip also had Vance saying, "I don't really care what happens in Ukraine..." According to The New York Times, Vance also argues that raising tariffs will create new jobs.

Vance is expected to have little formal control over policy decisions if he becomes the US vice president. However, he could emerge as Donald Trump's heir in 2028, if the former president wins the upcoming election.

Here's a look at JD Vance's stance on a few key issues

1. Abortion

JD Vance opposes abortion rights, even in the case of incest or rape, New York Times reported. He, however, appears to have softened his position on this issue recently. He reportedly says there should be exceptions for cases when the mother’s life is in danger.

Vance described himself as “pro-life".

Meanwhile, a Rolling Stone report quoted Vance as saying in 2022 that a national abortion ban was necessary to keep George Soros from flying “black women” to California for abortions.

In a 2021 interview, Vance implied that victims of rape and incest should be required to carry pregnancies to term. When Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitution in 2023, he called it a "gut punch."

Recently, however, Vance has said he opposes federal restrictions on the use of abortion pills. He has also said he believes states should be responsible for abortion-related legislation, a position that Trump shares, Reuters reported.

2. Ukraine

Vance has opposed US support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. “I think it’s ridiculous that we’re focused on this border in Ukraine,” he was quoted by The New York Times as saying in a podcast interview. As per Reuters, he has at times expressed even more skepticism of America's involvement in the conflict than Trump.

Vance said Ukraine has no chance of regaining all the territory Russia has taken. He also contended that the US should be committing resources instead to other issues, like fortifying the US-Mexico border.

"I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other," Vance said in an interview in 2022. Trump has said he would solve the conflict in his first day in office, although he has not given many details on how he would do that.

He had said in 2023, "Our Ukraine policy is unsustainable. The average age of a soldier in their army is 43–older than me. No one can articulate what $61 billion will accomplish, so we need to be pushing a negotiated end to the war."

3. Trade Policy

As per Reuters, JD Vance is a consistent proponent of trade barriers, particularly concerning China. He argues that tariffs are necessary to protect domestic industry from unfair competition abroad.

Vance's position is largely consistent with that of Trump, who has floated a global 10 per cent tariff. Meanwhile, many old-guard Republicans oppose new trade barriers, though the restrictive trade stance of Vance and Trump is now widely popular within the Republican Party.

4. Middle East

While being an opponent of aid to Ukraine, Vance has consistently stood by Israel. This, too, is consistent with Trump's position, although the former US president initially criticised Israeli leaders for failing to prevent Hamas' attack last October, Reuters reported.

In the Senate, Vance helped lead an effort to break apart a bill that provided aid to both Israel and Ukraine. He proposed instead sending aid only to America's ally in the Middle East.

"Trump right again. Biden's policy in Israel is equal parts incoherent and immoral," Vance said in May this year. He had reportedly supported Israel as an exception to an “America First” foreign policy vision.

5. Immigration

Vance’s views on immigration largely echo that of Trump's. In 2022, Vance said he would push for $3 billion to secure the barrier and finish portions of the incomplete southern border wall. He favours what he called a merit-based system for immigrants seeking to settle here, The New York Times reported. As per NPR, he has often decried a "crisis" at the southern border and called for funding and constructing a border wall.

Like almost all high-profile Republicans, Trump included, Vance says the federal government must flood the US-Mexico border with personnel and resources to stem the flow of immigrants entering the country illegally.

6. Climate change

Vance is said to be a climate change critic and a "a strong supporter of the oil and gas industry". According to The New York Times, Vance had earlier said that he is sceptical of the scientific consensus that warming of the earth’s atmosphere is caused by human activity. “It’s been changing, as others pointed out, it’s been changing for millennia,” he told the American Leadership Forum.

JD Vance's India link

JD Vance's Usha Chilukuri Vance has deep roots in India. Usha assisted Vance in organising his thoughts on the social decline in rural white America, which inspired his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard in 2020.

" Senator JD Vance would make a great vice president for America," Usha Chilukuri Vance has said, as she introduced him to Americans by giving an insight into their life, about him accepting her vegetarian diet and his ability to cook Indian food.