JD Vance: 5 things to know about Trump's VP pick

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, July 17, 2024

3. If elected, Vance would be first millennial, first Marine to serve as vice president

While the two major parties’ candidates for president have received attention due to their advanced ages, Vance is considerably younger than the 78-year-old Trump and the 81-year-old President Joe Biden that the Trump-Vance ticket seeks to unseat. At the age of 39, Vance would become the first millennial to serve as vice president.

The Pew Research Center uses the term “millennial” to describe the generation of Americans born between 1981 and 1996. As someone born in 1984, Vance fits into this category.

Vance would also become the youngest man elected vice president in more than a half-century. Trump’s running mate will be 40 years old when he takes office if he wins the election, just like Richard Nixon was when he became vice president in 1953. Only John Breckenridge, a Democrat who served as vice president during the presidency of James Buchanan, was younger upon taking office. Breckenridge was 36 when he took office in 1857, four years younger than Vance will be if he takes office in January 2025.

In addition to becoming the first millennial vice president in U.S. history if elected, Vance would also become the first Marine to serve in the position.