JD Vance, Trump's pick for vice president, once called him Hitler of America, cynical "a**hole"

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the US presidential election, on Monday (Jul15) namedJD Vance as his running mate. But did you know that Vance had once called Trump 'the Hitler of America' and an 'idiot'?

Who is JD Vance?

Vance, aged 39, is a Senator from Ohio since 2022. If elected, he will be the youngest vice president of the US ever. He is seen as a supporter of Trump's America First ideas based on populism and isolationism.JD Vance is a venture capitalist and best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy. Ohio Senate seat is his first outing in public office.

When did Vance call Trump America's Hitler?

JD Vance's'Hitler remarks, which were made in private in 2016, were highlighted when he was campaigning for Senate in 2022.

The comments were made in a Facebook message written by Vance wherein he wondered if Trump could be "America's Hitler". The private message was written by Vance to his former roommate at Yale Law School, and current Democratic Senator from Georgia Josh McLaurin, The Huff Post said in a report.

According to the report, Vance's message in full was,"I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler."

This comment was raked up by critics during Vance's 2022 Senate campaign.

In a post on X after Vance was announced by Trump as his running mate, Josh McLaurin on Monday confirmed that he indeed got Vance's message in 2016.

"I’m the guy JD Vance sent the “America’s Hitler” text to in 2016. He was my roommate in law school," McLaurin wrote.

"Obviously he’s a sellout, but the bigger deal is he’s angry and vindictive. The perfect fit for Trump’s revenge. JD’s rise is a triumph for angry jerks everywhere," McLaurin added in the post.

In spite of the comments being in public at the time, Trump in 2022 endorsed Vance for the Senate seat. He had said,“It is time for the entire MAGA movement ... to unite behind JD’s campaign.”

Not the only comments by Vance against Trump

The Hitler comment is not the only one made by Vance against Trump. According to a report in Politico, Vance was targeted in attack ads for his past criticism of Trump.

Vance had said in the past that he would not vote for Trump in the 2016 election. "I'm a Never Trump Guy. I never liked him," Vance had said in an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016.

In fact, he even shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), in October 2016,"My god what an idiot,"about the then-presidential candidate.

In various interview appearances and remarks, Vance referred to Trump as "reprehensible" and "noxious", and even publicly considered voting for Trump's then-Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

But in 2021, ahead of his Senate run, Vance said he regretted his past criticism of Trump.

"Like a lot of people, I criticised Trump back in 2016... I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy. I think he was a good president," he told the channel.

(With inputs from agencies)