"Iran, maybe Pakistan... actually UK": Trump's VP pick jokes about "first Islamist country to get nuclear weapon"

Former US President's Donald Trump's pick of vice-presidential running mate JD Vance for the 2024 elections, is a prominent advocate of "America First" is critical of the US support to Ukraine and has backed Trump's position on Isreal's war against Hamas.

The 39-year-old first time lawmaker from Ohio, who once called Trump "America's Hitler" has over the last eight years undergone a radical political transformation from a blue-collar bard and self-described "Never Trump" conservative to "hard-edged MAGA loyalist" and "dogged defender" of the former president, Politico reported.

Al Jazeera published comments made by Vance earlier this month when he said had been talking with a friend about nuclear proliferation.

"What is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon? Maybe it's Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts. And then we sort of finally decided, maybe it's actually the UK since Labour just took over," Vance said as per Al-Jazeera.

Vance also had this piece of advice for his "Tory friends" that they needed to "get a handle" on the defeat of the Conservative Party in the UK.

The remarks were made at a National Conservatism conference in Washington after the Labour Party had won a landslide victory in the recently held general elections in the UK.

Meanwhile at the Milwaukee Republican convention on Monday in which Trump was officially nominated as the Republican Party's presidential pick for the November 2024 Presidential election former UK Prime Miniser Liz Truss was spotted.

She told Sky News that Trump was "defiant" and showed " strength and fortitude" afer the attempt on his life. She also said Joe Biden was a "weak president".

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in political science and philosophy he enrolled at Yale Law School in 2010 and was elected to the US Senate in the year 2022

in 2003, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in Iraq as a corporal with the Public Affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing

Former Republican Party's presidential candiate Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed his support for Vance.

Donald Trump made his pick for Vice President, selecting the 39-year-old JD Vance as his running mate on Monday. Trump confirmed Vance's candidature through a post on his social media Truth Social.

"So proud of my friend, classmate, and fellow southwest Ohioan today. 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," Ramaswamy took to X to post.

Ramaswamy and Vance attended Yale together.

"He'll be an outstanding Vice President and I look forward to everything ahead for him and for our country," Ramaswamy said.

He further said that he believes that the Trump-Vance will be "the most formidable presidential ticket of my lifetime."

The running mate announcement comes just two days after Trump escaped an attempted assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

RAmaswamwy had said this about the shooting.

"Our nation's survival came within centimeters of a bullet's path tonight. The same Divine Providence that guided our Founders protected Donald Trump today. If any good comes of tonight's tragedy, let it be this: I hope our grandchildren see images of it in their history books and remember this as the moment when our nation turned the page on an ugly chapter."

Meanwhile Trump earlier announcing Vance as his running mate said on social media that "After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio."

Republicans officially nominated Trump and Vance at the start of their four-day national convention at Milwaukee. Vance walked onto the convention floor with his wife, Usha Vance, by his side, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The Post also cited an anonymous Biden-Harris campaign official stating that Vice President Kamala Harris, had reached out to Vance and left a message to congratulate him and "expressed her hope that the two can meet in the debate proposed by CBS News."

As per the US daily , Vance grew up in a steel mill community in Ohio in a family beset by drug addiction and poverty. He served in the Marine Corps for four years, including a six month deployment to Iraq, before studying political science and philosophy at Ohio State University and attending Yale Law School. He went on to work at a large corporate law firm and then as a principal at billionaire Peter Thiel's investment firm in San Francisco.

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