‘A Scots Irish hillbilly at heart’
Although Donald Trump is half-British, he is the first US President in many years to have no Irish ancestry. His Vice President JD Vance, however, claims ‘Scots Irish’ heritage; a heritage which is shared by at least one-third of former occupants of the White House.
“To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots Irish hillbilly at heart,” is how Vice President of the United States, James David (JD) Vance, rationalised his conservatism in 2016.
In the US, the terms Scots Irish, Scotch Irish, and Ulster Scots are used interchangeably to relate to people who left Scotland, settled as part of the Ulster Plantation, and then moved on to North America.
The term ‘hillbilly’ has its origins from Ulster Scots immigrants in Appalachia, combining ‘hill’ for their mountain settlements and ‘Billy’, a reference to supporters of King William III, commonly referred to as ‘King Billy’ or ‘William of Orange’. The term came to describe rural, self-reliant Scots Irish descendants living in the American highlands.
One-third of former US presidents claim Ulster Scots heritage, including both Bush presidents (who have ancestors from County Derry), Richard Nixon (County Antrim), and Bill Clinton (County Fermanagh).
Indeed, names to have graced the title of President of the United States include common Ulster surnames as Jackson, Johnson, McKinley, and Wilson.
Who is JD Vance?
Vance made his name in politics in 2016 by referring to his now-boss, Donald Trump, as either a “cynical asshole like [Richard] Nixon” or “America’s Hitler”. Vance, who has ancestry from counties Antrim and Down, has subsequently metamorphosed into one of the most pro-Trump members of the Republican Party.
A convert to Catholicism, Vance rose to fame following the publication of his book, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he describes his impoverished upbringing in the state of Kentucky.
Vance, a former military journalist in the US Marine Corps and Yale-educated venture capitalist, recollects his “blue collar” upbringing in Ohio, where via the Appalachian region of the United States, his Scots Irish ancestors settled over three centuries ago.
Vance has cited his Ulster Scots heritage and culture as being core to his conservative values. In Hillbilly Elegy, he writes: “Their family structures, religion and politics, and social lives all remain unchanged compared to the wholesale abandonment of tradition [that has] occurred nearly everywhere else.
“This distinctive embrace of cultural tradition comes along with many good traits – an intense sense of loyalty, a fierce dedication to family and country – but also many bad ones.
“We do not like outsiders or people who are different from us, whether the difference lies in how they look, how they act, or, most important, how they talk. To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots Irish hillbilly at heart.”
Vance, whose wife is Indian, has been utilised by Trump as an attack dog, first during the campaign and subsequently for the administration. His debate performance against Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz was widely acclaimed, and then he subsequently launched his infamous attack against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to the White House to discuss his nation’s ongoing war.
Notably, one week after this incident, the Vice President warmly received Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD on the week prior to St Patrick’s Day, hosting Martin at the Naval Observatory before a notable gesture whereby he wore shamrock socks in the Oval Office when the Taoiseach was hosted by Trump.
Trump’s government and Ireland
Although the Taoiseach had warm remarks for both Vance and Trump – offering to show Vance around the English Market in Cork city – the US administration subsequently launched a proverbial grenade at the Irish Government by hosting MMA star and convicted criminal Conor McGregor – who is attempting to establish himself as a far-right presidential candidate in the Republic – on St Patrick’s Day.
The Trump administration has so far demonstrated little to no interest in Northern Ireland. Michelle O’Neill MLA and Mary Lou McDonald TD both boycotted the St Patrick’s Day visit over Trump’s support for the ongoing Israeli siege of Gaza – which the International Criminal Court has stated could plausibly be a genocide.
When asked by reporters in the White House about the absence of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance for the Washington visit, Trump said: “What are they boycotting? I really don’t know anything about that.”
While deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly MLA travelled on behalf of the Executive and the DUP, the only meeting she was granted with the US President was a 10-second-long stop to take a selfie.
These remarks and actions, alongside the fact that the position of US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland has remained vacant since Trump took office, shows that, although his Vice President may have very real links to Ulster, Northern Ireland is not even remotely on the radar of the administration in the United States.
