Donald Trump has picked Ohio senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, choosing a grassroots favorite ahead of more seasoned political operators.

The former president left it until the last possible moment, using all his showman skills to leave the world guessing, before opting for 39-year-old Vance after the Republican National Convention had already begun in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance swept to national attention when he published his bestselling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ in 2016, the year Trump was elected president.

He has been a senator for less than two years but has established himself as one of the fiercest defenders of Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda, especially when it comes to foreign policy, trade and immigration.

The former venture capitalist and U.S. Marine had initially been critical of Trump.

He didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and around that time tweeted: ‘My god what an idiot.’

But he has since become personally close with the former president, and particularly with his son Donald Trump Jr.

Last week, Don Jr. told DailyMail.com: ‘You make a lot of acquaintances in politics, but J.D. is a great and loyal guy who has become a genuine friend.

‘His entire life story is the embodiment of the American dream, but he never forgets where he came from.’

Vance will be now expected to enthuse Trump’s base and also inject some millennial energy into the race.

His blue-collar Ohio roots will could also help beat President Joe Biden in his so-called ‘blue wall’ states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Insiders said the two other ‘finalists’ were Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.

Last week betting markets declared Vance the clear frontrunner even as a string of attack pieces surfaced in the media.

This is a breaking story