JD Vance Transforms from Calling Trump 'America's Hitler' to Loyal Vice Presidential Pick

JD Vance's political transformation between 2016 and 2024 became one of the most dramatic ideological pivots in modern American politics. The author of Hillbilly Elegy privately called Trump "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin" in 2016, then systematically repositioned himself — cultivating MAGA base support, securing Peter Thiel backing, winning an Ohio Senate seat in 2022, and ultimately becoming Trump's 2024 running mate.