A Republican politician who derided Indigenous Peoples’ Day as “fake” is Donald Trump’s running mate.

In a social media post on October 11, 2021, James David “J.D.” Vance chastised Democrat Joe Biden for being the first president of the United State to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. At the time, the politician was seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio.

“’Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ is a fake holiday created to sow division. Of course Joe Biden is the first president to pay it any attention,” Vance wrote in the post.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day” is a fake holiday created to sow division. Of course Joe Biden is the first president to pay it any attention. https://t.co/zyP18KJmy5

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 11, 2021

But Vance, who rose to fame as the best-selling author of a memoir about his upbringing in Ohio, wasn’t done denouncing the official acknowledgment of Indigenous peoples. He praised Christopher Columbus, characterizing the European explorer who paved the way for the genocide of Native peoples in present-day North, Central and South America as somehow superior because he got lost while trying to get to an entirely different place.

“A half a millennium ago Columbus used technology developed in Europe to sail across a giant ocean and discover a new continent. Today we celebrate that daring and ingenuity. Happy Columbus Day!” Vance added in another social media post.

A half a millennium ago Columbus used technology developed in Europe to sail across a giant ocean and discover a new continent. Today we celebrate that daring and ingenuity. Happy Columbus Day!

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 11, 2021

Vance eventually won election to the Senate in 2022. In disavowing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, he found himself on common ground with Trump, who has been taking shots at American Indians and Alaska Natives for decades, often relying on racist stereotypes and offensive depictions of Native peoples.

And after Biden recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day four years ago, Trump lashed out at the Democratic president, expressing a viewpoint very similar to that of Vance, who was announced as the Republican vice presidential nominee on the opening day of the Republican National Convention on Monday.

“So he wants to change it to Indigenous Peoples Day. Not as long as I’m president, let me just tell you that, okay?” Trump said of Biden back in October 2020.

Democrats were quick to denounce Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate. In a press call on Monday afternoon, the party said the Republican presidential ticket was the “most extreme and out of touch” in American history.

“Trump’s VP pick is great news for the wealthiest Americans and lousy news for everyone else,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), who has been frequently targeted by Trump, including for her support for Indian Country.

Vance took office in January 2023, at the start of 118th Congress. Since his arrival on Capitol Hill, he hasn’t taken much of a stand on Indian issues, a not uncommon occurrence for a first-term lawmaker, especially one from a state where no federally recognized tribes are based or have trust lands.

Here’s the deal about J.D. Vance. He talks a big game about working people. But now, he and Trump want to raise taxes on middle-class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich.

Well, I don’t intend to let them. And if you’re with me, pitch in: https://t.co/ALkc9uHFh9

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 15, 2024

But the first bill he introduced as a member of the Senate would establish English as the “official language” of the U.S. despite the existence of Native languages spoken among 500-plus sovereign tribal nations. While S.1109, the English Language Unity Act, states that the measure can’t be used to “limit the preservation or use of Native Alaskan or Native American languages” it in fact would impose new English language requirements on immigrants — including those who speak Indigenous languages — when they become citizens.

Vance also wants to override tribal sovereignty without consent with S.2738, the Freedom to Breathe Act. The bill bars tribes, whose peoples have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from enacting their own mask mandate laws in schools and in public transit on their lands.

And with S.2357, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, Vance is trying to stop all health care facilities in Indian Country from providing gender affirming treatment and services to young people. No differentiation is made even when a tribe or tribal organization provides such services at facilities that do not receive federal funds.

“At the end of the day, we always knew Trump would pick someone just as committed to taking away reproductive freedom,” Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, said on the Biden campaign call on Monday afternoon.

“But now that it’s official, it couldn’t be more clear: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance would further roll back our rights to make our own health care decisions,” said Timmaraju, underscoring a message similar to the one that Two Spirit activist Candi Brings Plenty shared in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the nation’s capital last month.

The Republican National Convention is taking place this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although the state is home to 111 federally recognized tribes, there are no Native events on the official master calendar. The schedule for the opening day does not list any Native speakers or presenters.

Likewise, the 2024 Republican party platform is silent when it comes to tribal nations, American Indians and Alaska Natives. The U.S. government owes a trust responsibility to tribes and their citizens, as laid out by the U.S. Constitutions, treaties, agreements, federal laws, court decisions and other official actions.

Trump arrived in Milwaukee on Sunday, a day after an attempted assassination at one of his campaign events in Pennsylvania. The U.S. Secret Service killed the alleged shooter, who was able to strike the Republican presidential nominee in the ear. An attendee was also killed, and two other attendees were critically injured, according to the law enforcement agency.