Kayla Epstein
Reporting from the convention

The Ohio delegation broke into a call and response chant “O-H I-O!”

They’re clearly proud of this moment as their senator becomes a vice-presidential candidate.

Vance jokes to them that they have to chill out - since the campaign needs to win Michigan too.

For those that don't know - University of Michigan and "the" Ohio State University are bitter college football rivals.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine remains standing as much of the delegation takes a seat. He looks very proud of the moment.

In another sign of how Donald Trump's running mate is embracing, and using, his upbringing to appeal to a similar demographic to his own, we've just had the first use of "hillbilly" in his speech.

As a reminder, his memoir was titled Hillbilly Elegy.

"She was an old woman who could barely walk but she was tough as nails," he says, referring to his mother, who is sat here in the audience.

"I called her Mamaw, the name we hillbillies gave to our grandmothers," Vance says.

As expected, Vance is referencing his childhood in Ohio which formed a key part of his best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

He says it was a place "that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington".

After criticising various policies supported by Joe Biden during his long career, Vance says: "In small towns like mine in Ohio, or next door in Pennsylvania, or in Michigan... jobs were sent overseas and children were sent to war."

Those are all closely-fought battleground states that are likely to decide November's election.

It's a sign that Vance was picked - to some extent - to try and appeal to crucial working-class voters in these swing states.

Image source, Getty Images

"I stand here humbled… And I am overwhelmed with gratitude," JD Vance says.

"I officially accept your nomination to be vice president of the United States of America."

"Never in my wildest imagination would I have believed that I could be standing here tonight."

"My message to Republicans is: we love this country, and we are united to win," he says.

This is another theme of the Republican convention, bringing the party together.

"And our disagreements actually make us stronger," Vance says.

His comments draw a stark contrast with the Democratic Party, which has seen open, public division over Joe Biden's candidacy in recent weeks.

JD Vance is now talking about the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Trump.

He says Trump "flew to Milwaukee and got back to work". The crowd cheers.

"That is the man I’ve gotten to know personally over the last few years. He is tough, but he cares about people. He can stand defiant against an assassin one moment and call for national healing the next."

Vance also brings up Trump being a father and a grandfather. We've heard this multiple times at the convention, surrogates frequently mention Trump is a "beloved" grandfather. And we've seen many of Trump's family speak this week.

And there's a little dig at Don Jr and Eric here, Vance says he kisses his boys on the cheek goodnight, and they squirm like Vance's four-year-old does. "Sorry guys" he says as the crowd laughs.

It's an interesting moment that shows the relationship between Trump's sons and Vance. Media outlets have been repoting that Eric and Don Jr were pushing hard for Vance to be Trump's runnnig mate.

Image source, Reuters

JD Vance listens to cheers of "JD, JD" before he starts to speak. He thanks his wife Usha for her introduction.

"We cannot forget that this evening could have been so much different," he says, referencing the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

"He chose to endure abuse, slander, and persecution," Vance says of Trump's choice to take on politics instead of staying in the business world.

"But don’t take my word for it," Vance says. "Go and watch the video of a would-be assassin coming a quarter of an inch from taking his life."

The 39-year-old then says, when Trump stood up after the shooting, "all of America stood up with him".

He then echoes the emerging chant here - started by the former president mouthing the words himself after the attack - by calling on the crowd to "fight".

Donald Trump's running mate is on stage - welcomed by a chorus of cheers.

We'll bring you the latest, and you can watch live by pressing the button at the top of this page.

Usha Vance is tackling her background head-on here in front of the crowd.

She acknowledges she and her husband come from very different backgrounds - he, a white man from the rust belt, and she the daughter of Indian immigrants.

She says the fact that the pair of them are even together is a testament to the kind of country America is.

She calls her husband a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy but says he has learned to cook Indian food.

Ther crowd is mostly silent but there have been a smattering of cheers.

She gets a laugh when she takes a dig at her husband's beard.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent at the convention

JD Vance comes into this night with the opportunity to define himself to most Americans. With less than two years of service in the US Senate, his only public office, his political resume is thin.

A CNN poll taken last month showed that 13% of respondents had a favourable opinion of Vance, 20% had an unfavourable view, and the rest either didn’t know him or had no opinion.

Democrats have already rushed to fill the void, saying that Vance is a clone of the former president who will serve as a “rubber stamp” for his agenda.

Now Trump’s newly-minted running mate will have an opportunity to push back.

Expect him to position himself as a voice for the rural working class and to vocally promote some of the core elements of Trumpism – cracking down on undocumented immigration, restricting trade and railing against an out-of-touch elite.

Vance is being promoted by some as the future of Trump’s political movement. A well received speech here tonight will put him well on the way to making that a reality.

Image source, Getty Images

This is the first time that JD Vance's wife Usha is giving a political speech like this.

The 39-year-old lawyer, whose parents were born in India and migrated to California, used to work for a progressive law firm.

She is telling personal stories about JD, saying that when they met in college he liked "playing with puppies" and watching the film Babe.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent at the convention

Image source, Getty Images

Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, has taken the stage here at the Republican National Convention.

She doesn’t have the resume of a typical Republican convention speaker in the Donald Trump era – the daughter of Indian immigrants, with diplomas from Yale and the University of Cambridge, a former job as a high-powered litigator with a left-leaning San Francisco law firm and past registration as a Democratic voter.

Now she joins her husband in the brightest of political spotlights.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from the convention

The Ohio delegation is ready for their senator. They’ve already made “Vance” hats which several members now sport here on the convention floor.

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from Washington DC

In his speech tonight, JD Vance is expected to highlight his blue-collar background and his family roots in Appalachia as well as Middletown, Ohio.

His impoverished upbringing with a drug-addicted mother in southern Ohio was covered in his memoir. He then enlisted as a US Marine before attending Yale Law School.

Republicans are hoping Vance's background will appeal to those voters, especially in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, three battleground states that were key to Trump's 2016 coalition and will be critical for a White House victory in November.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from the convention

Anticipation is growing for tonight’s headline speaker, Trump's VP pick JD Vance.

Tri Ta, an assemblyman from California and a delegate at the convention, said Vance brought “hope” to the country.

He knew Vance had published a book, Hillbilly Elegy, that was made into a movie.

He thought Trump made a good choice in picking Vance, who he said had “conservative principles”.

A crowd is also forming near the Ohio delegation, as JD Vance’s speech approaches. The state’s governor, Mike DeWine, is here to support Vance.

Don Jr starts to talk about "his friend" JD Vance.

"A kid from Appalachia and a kid from Trump Tower in Manhattan," Don Jr says.

He says the grew up "worlds apart", but are now side-by-side.

"JD Vance is going to make one hell of a vice president," he tells the crowd - who star to chant "JD, JD".

We are getting very close to hearing from Vance now. And a reminder that you will be able to watch it live at the top of this page.

Trump's son Don Jr is engaging with the crowd, asking them questions and waiting for loud reactions.

He speaks of his father, claiming he is unfairly punished.

Don Jr spends time hitting at Biden and the Democrats.

He says the party is now "extreme".

Don Jr is one of Trump's most vocal surrogates and he is at ease in front of the microphone talking to this audience.

He says America's "greatest days are yet to come".

One of the biggest cheers of his speech is when Don Jr shows a photo of Trump raising his fist in the air after an assassination attempt on Saturday night.

Gareth Evans
Reporting from the convention

Family has been a recurring theme at this convention - and we've heard from a broad mix of Trump relatives so far.

That began with Lara Trump last night, who spoke about her father-in-law and his relationship with her young children.

And the appearance of Kai - who is just 17 - on stage here tonight is yet another example of how the campaign is pushing the message that the former president is a loving father and grandfather.

We've heard them share anecdotes of what Trump is like at gatherings, with children and behind the scenes when the cameras are not rolling.

We're accustomed to hearing Trump sold as a fighter - but perhaps we'll now hear the campaign sell him more frequently on his softer edges, in an attempt to blunt Democratic attacks on him as a threat to democracy.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from the convention

Don Jr is back on stage after his daughter's speech.

He talks about the assassination attempt on his father.

"As those bullets rained down, we came millimetres away from one of the darkest moments" in US history, he says.

He speaks about the man who died at the rally, Corey Comperatore.

A vigil is being held tonight for Comperatore at a speedway in Pennsylvania.

The crowd here chants "Corey, Corey".