JD And Usha Vance Have Closer Ties To Former Trump Rival Vivek Ramaswamy Than We Realized

Politics can be a small world, as aspiring politicians often pursue careers that lend themselves to government work or public service. That proved true for Senator JD Vance of Ohio, whom former president Donald Trump announced as his vice-presidential pick during the Republican National Convention. Vance is actually close with another former candidate for president: Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy, who dropped out of the presidential race in January 2024 and endorsed Trump, attended Yale Law School with JD. In fact, JD's wife Usha Vance was a fellow student as well at the Ivy League school in New Haven, Connecticut. She met JD there.

It seems there's no bitterness between the biotech company founder and the senator after Ramaswamy failed to win the presidential nomination or to become former president Donald Trump's pick for vice president. A few days after Trump's announcement about Vance during the Republican National Convention, Ramaswamy took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to explain why he thought Vance was a good choice. "The reason my friend @JDVance1 will be an excellent VP is he'll be the first true *thinker* we've had in that role in a long time," Ramaswamy wrote. "His RNC speech was thought-provoking, even if we don't all agree with every last thing he said."

During an interview with NewsNation, Vivek Ramaswamy also said he enjoys debating issues with his friend JD Vance. "He actually cares about serving the public, which I know sounds like a pretty basic attribute for a public servant, but actually he's one of the few who is in it for the right reasons."

Still, if Trump and Vance win the 2024 presidential election, Vance and Ramaswamy might work together in some capacity. "Trump personally told Ramaswamy he won't be his vice presidential pick, according to people briefed on the discussion, but is considering him for posts including Homeland Security secretary," Bloomberg reported. 

Since both Vance and Ramaswamy are from Ohio, it's been suggested that Ramaswamy could take Vance's Senate seat if the Trump-Vance ticket were to succeed. In that event, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, would be responsible for appointing an interim senator until the seat was up for re-election. "I would strongly consider it if I were asked to serve," he said (via The Wall Street Journal). "I have not discussed this with Governor DeWine, but, you know, I look forward to evaluating what the future holds in store. I would strongly consider it if asked."

Vice-presidential candidate JD Vance has a few more connections to Vivek Ramaswamy. First, JD and Usha Vance's son shares the name Vivek with the businessman. It's a popular South Asian name that means "wisdom."

JD and Ramaswamy are also fans of the same football team. The two support the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, and used to catch the games together when they were law students in New Haven, Connecticut. "We didn't even know we were among the few lone conservatives at Yale Law School," Ramaswamy said in the NewsNation interview. They got to see the Bengals make the playoffs twice during their time at Yale, though they fell short of the Super Bowl.

Ramaswamy also referenced their shared fandom in a tweet after the announcement that JD would serve as former president Donald Trump's running mate in 2024. "So proud of my friend, classmate, and fellow southwest Ohioan today," he wrote. "We used to watch Bengals games at the bar in law school, it's awesome we're now here a decade later with JD joining the strongest presidential ticket in our lifetime."