JD Vance’s confusing evolution from liberal touchstone to Maga superstar

Trump's vice-presidential pick seen as relatable for ties to rural white poor, but some say his book sanitized' his past

JD Vance regaled the attendees of the Republican national convention on Wednesday with stories of his childhood - a life of poverty and struggle, surrounded by people who he said had found themselves at the mercy of economic downturns and forgotten by the country's governing elites.

My work taught me that there is still so much talent and grit in the American heartland," said Vance, who had just been anointed Donald Trump's vice-presidential nominee. But for these places to thrive, my friends, we need a leader who fights for the people who built this country."