Republican Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance, a US senator from Ohio and author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” as his running mate, elevating a politician who once criticized the former president in acid terms but has since become one of his most stalwart defenders, Report informs via Reuters.

The news, the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, emerged at the start of the four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to nominate the party’s presidential ticket. Soon after, Vance appeared at the event to the applause of party delegates but did not give any remarks.