Vice President JD Vance painted a rosy picture of America’s economy during a visit to a suburb southwest of Allentown, pinning the high costs of drugs, groceries and housing on the previous administration.
“If you look at every single affordability crisis that we talk about in the United States of America today, it’s because we inherited a nightmare of an economy from Joe Biden,” Vance said at a podium behind a banner reading “LOWER PRICES, BIGGER PAYCHECKS.”
Vance said the country has experienced an “economic comeback” thanks to President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing.
“We’ve got real money, real jobs and real opportunity,” he said, also pointing to the GOP’s tax cuts on tips and overtime pay.
Vance’s speech coincided with a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that found the U.S. unemployment rate continued to steadily rise, reaching 4.6% — up from 4 percent when Trump took office in January, though nowhere near the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also found the country lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 jobs in November.
Vance, answering questions from reporters, said he’s not worried about the potential political fallout depicted in multiple polls showing a majority of voters do not support the Trump administration’s handling of the economy.
“I believe the American people are going to reward us because the American people are smart,” Vance said. “They know Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Vance also echoed Trump’s rating of the U.S. economy as better than “A+.”
Trump visited northeast Pennsylvania last week for what was intended to be a similar economic-focused stump speech. He said inflation is no longer an issue, claimed Democrats have been harping on the word “affordability” to criticize his record, and promised that he is working to lower prices.
But he also veered off topic to talk about his administration’s efforts to curb immigration.
At Vance’s rally, several Lehigh Valley business owners and residents thanked the Trump administration for its economic policies and criticized Democrats, like former President Biden, whose policies they argued spiked inflation.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a first-term Republican who represents several eastern Pennsylvania counties, won his seat on the same ballot as Trump and Vance last year and gave a wide-ranging speech backing the work of Trump and Vance in Washington.
“We in Congress are backing them up by reducing permit times and slashing red tape,” Mackenzie said.
Democrats are aiming to flip Mackenzie’s 7th District, arguing it will be among the most competitive seats in Pennsylvania next year.
Pennsylvania-focused
Democratic officials including Gov. Josh Shapiro have condemned the White House message on the state of the economy.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance’s economic policies are hurting Pennsylvania,” Shapiro posted on social media Tuesday. “They have raised prices at the grocery store, screwed over our farmers, and gutted healthcare funding.”
Shapiro, calling Vance’s message a “BS alternative reality,” also took another jab at Trump’s comments from Allentown.
“I know this Administration thinks the cost of living is a ‘hoax’ – but it’s not, and Pennsylvania families know it,” he said.
Shapiro, who faces reelection next year, is widely seen as a contender for the Democratic Party’s 2028 nomination for president.
Republican Party-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity, who serves as Pennsylvania’s state treasurer, spoke at the Vance rally Tuesday. Garrity praised the White House’s economic efforts, pointing to Trump’s temporary tax cuts for tipped workers and overtime pay.
“Pennsylvania delivered for President Trump and Vice President Vance, and now they’re delivering for all of us,” Garrity said. “Promises made, promises kept.”
But Garrity, talking to WITF before her speech, acknowledged that many Pennsylvanians still report they’re experiencing higher costs of living on essentials, like groceries and housing.
“We need to have a better message,” Garrity said. “We need to talk about things that are happening, and then people need to start feeling it in their pockets.”