 The 39-year-old Vance arose to national fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has become one of the staunchest champions of the former president's Make America Great Again agenda, particularly on trade, foreign policy, and immigration. But he is largely untested in national politics and is joining the Trump ticket at an extraordinary moment in American history.