US Vice President JD Vance called Democrats the "party of hatred" Thursday and urged voters to send them packing in November's midterms, in a prime-time convention speech that showcased him as a possible heir to Donald Trump in 2028.
The 42-year-old vice president was greeted by a huge roar and chants of "JD! JD!" as he took the stage at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
"This fall, the Democrats are running candidates who will tell your children what they're allowed to say, how they're allowed to live, and, importantly, who they ought to hate," Vance said.
"The Democrats are the party of hatred. They're the party that despises America and the people who built it. They're the party that can find sympathy for the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11," he added
Trump returned to the stage after Vance and immediately praised his vice president.
"I want to thank our great vice president. What a job he did tonight!" Trump said. "You know, the Democrats are getting nervous."
The president promised to be brief before introducing a convention-closing music set, saying: "I'm getting a little tired of politics now."
But he reprised familiar rally lines, attacking "radical left" Democrats and again making himself the centerpiece of the Republican midterm campaign.
"I'm not on the ticket. You've got to pretend I'm on the ticket," Trump told supporters.
Republicans head into November under heavy electoral pressure.
US election tracking site Decision Desk HQ projects Democrats will win the House 229-206 and has the Senate on a knife-edge at 50-50. Trump's approval rating has languished in the low-to-mid 30s amid stubborn inflation and an unpopular war with Iran.
Trump also repeated his extraordinary promise from Wednesday to pay every American adult a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans retain both chambers of Congress.
- Family and future -
Vance, meanwhile, sought to sharpen a convention-long portrayal of Democrats as extremists, arguing that disagreements within the Republican coalition were minor compared with what he called the rhetoric of the "far left."
"I'm not asking you to agree with every policy of our administration," Vance told the crowd.
"I'm asking you to recognize the contrast with the radicals, and the achievements of the last 18 months."
Family and fatherhood were recurring themes as Vance sought to contrast what he described as traditional values with the political left, adding "we got to send their asses packing in November."
He also paid tribute to conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk on the first anniversary of his killing, addressing Kirk's young children directly.
"History will record that your father was a great man," Vance said.
Vance turned to his political opponents, accusing them of attacking the traditional family.
"To the radicals who wish to abolish my family and the thousands and millions of other families all across our country, we have a simple message for them: stay the hell away from our kids," he said.
- High-stakes gamble -
Vance is widely regarded as an early front-runner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, although he has said he will not make a decision until after the midterms.
His appearance immediately before Trump's closing remarks gave him one of the convention's most prominent speaking slots as Republicans begin to consider their post-Trump future.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing Texas, Trump praised Vance.
"I think he did very well tonight, and he's a very talented guy. He's a great -- been a great vice president. I think he did a very good job," Trump said.
The central Republican gamble remains whether Trump can mobilize voters personally loyal to him even when he is not actually running, without further alienating independents who have soured on his presidency.
Vance's appearance added the longer-term question of whether one of Trump's potential successors can eventually inherit the political coalition he built.
Ed Williams, a 59-year-old engineer from Dallas, told AFP Vance had come across as "very charismatic," and hit the issues important to "the America that I want."
"I'm considering Vance very strongly for my presidential pick in 2028," he said, as jubilant Republicans streamed out of the convention hall and into a steamy Dallas night.
