'Hillbilly Elegy' Author J.D. Vance Says He Regrets Past Tweets Criticizing Donald Trump Amid Ohio Senate Run

By Mary Webber First Posted: Jul 05, 2021 11:20 PM EDT

"Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance had backed away from his tweets criticizing former President Donald Trump amid his Ohio Senate bid.

J.D. Vance announced his candidacy last week as Ohio Senator Rob Portman is set to retire, Business Insider report. The best-selling author now faces his first controversy after Andrew Kaczynski of CNN retrieved several of Vance's tweets criticizing Trump.

The "Hillbilly Elegy" author addressed the tweets during an interview with Fox News' Alicia Acuna on Monday, July 5, saying he regrets his former stance.

J.D. Vance asked people not to judge him based on what he said in 2016, as he has been very open that he did say those things and regrets being wrong about the guy.

The "Hillbilly Elegy" author added that he thinks Donald Trump was a good president, saying that the former president has made many good decisions for people.

The Ohio Senate candidate noted that he had faced criticism for standing up for Donald Trump voters and their beliefs, while his opponents use the controversial tweets as ammunition against him.

Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio was also bidding for the state's Senate seat. He tweeted that he and Vance have one thing in common: not voting for Donald Trump.

Last week, J.D. Vance had announced his plans to run for the position, with his top issues being the culture wars, immigration, and economic populism, according to an Axios report.

Who is J.D. Vance?

James David Bowman, which was later changed to Vance, was born in Middletown, Ohio. His mother, Bev Vance, was known to have struggled with addiction based on his memoir.

His mother first started with alcohol, which then led to drug consumption.

Vance's family was what he calls "hillbillies," white, working-class, no education beyond secondary school, and mostly of Scots-Irish descent, BBC News reported.

Vance was known to have joined the Marines and served in Iraq before going to Ohio State University, where he earned a degree in political science and philosophy.

He then gained admission to Yale Law school, where he met one of his mentors, Amy Chua, a law professor and author of "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." She convinced Vance to write his memoir, which was published in 2016.

The 'Hillbilly Elegy' Book

J.D. Vance's story was celebrated when it first arrived on bookshelves. It posed a picture of an often-ignored community of America, which is the white working class of Appalachia and the Rust Belt, The Atlantic reported.

Vance opened in his memoir his upbringing. Hillbilly Elegy gained positive reviews, with Portman noting that it was one of his favorite books in 2016.

Hillbilly Elegy was adapted into a film in 2020, which Ron Howard directed. Republican strategist Adam Gingrich said that Vance's personal story of individual hardships and failures had been the main role player in his appeal so far.

Gingrich added that his ability to appeal to Clintonian "I feel your pain" lines without the political tone would be advantageous.

WATCH: 'Hillbilly Elegy' Author JD Vance Joins US Senate campaign - From WLWT