Trump officially nominated as presidential candidate, selects Senator J. D. Vance as his running mate

(Patria) - Donald Trump has chosen Ohio Senator J. D. Vance as his running mate, as the Republican Party officially nominated the former president to run again for the White House at the start of the party's national convention in Milwaukee, Reuters reported.

"As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our troops, and do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The four-day convention opened in downtown Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, and hours after he secured a legal victory when a federal judge dismissed one of Trump's criminal prosecutions.

Trump is expected to officially accept the party's nomination in prime time on Thursday and face the Democrat and current President Joseph Biden in the elections on November 5. Vance (39), was a fierce critic of Trump in 2016, but has since become one of the former president's most ardent defenders, embracing his claims that the 2020 election was compromised by widespread fraud.

Following the assassination attempt, Trump said he had revised his nomination acceptance speech to emphasize national unity, rather than highlighting his differences with Biden.

"This is an opportunity to bring the entire country together, even the entire world. The speech will be very different, very different than it would have been two days ago," Trump told the Washington Examiner.