On the opening day of the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump, expected to be the presidential nominee, selected Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate. Vance, 39, is a former critic turned loyal supporter of Trump. In 2016, he publicly stated he would not vote for Trump, a fact highlighted by media outlets close to the Democrats, such as CNN. Vance learned he was Trump's choice for vice president just 20 minutes before the official announcement, following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, shortly before a Pennsylvania rally where an assassination attempt on Trump was reported.

Senator Vance gained national recognition with his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," detailing his life in one of America's poorest regions. Since his 2022 Senate election, he has become a staunch defender of Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda, focusing on trade, foreign policy, and immigration. Vance is also noted for his skepticism about US involvement in international affairs, such as the war in Ukraine, and his opposition to bipartisan government funding deals.

In a recent legal development, a Florida judge dismissed the classified documents case against Trump, citing the unconstitutional appointment of a special prosecutor. This marks Trump's second significant legal victory in under a month, following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Special counsel Jack Smith's spokesman stated that the Justice Department plans to appeal, while the White House has not commented. Trump, on his social media platform Truth Social, called for the dismissal of other cases against him, labeling them as "political attacks."

Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk has pledged 45 million dollars a month to support Trump's re-election campaign, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal". Musk's donations will fund a new political organization, America PAC, aimed at promoting voter registration, early voting, and mail-in voting in swing states ahead of the November election. Musk, who bought the social network X in 2022, officially endorsed Trump's presidential bid on Saturday, shortly after Trump was injured in a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is being investigated as an attempted murder. "I fully support President Trump and hope for his speedy recovery," Musk wrote on X.

Musk is among several significant backers of America PAC, including Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, former US Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft, and cryptocurrency investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.