JD Vance's Pennsylvania Visit: A Shot at Federal Workers and a Response to Vanity Fair

Vice President JD Vance’s Visit to Pennsylvania Focuses on Economy and Blames Democrats

With the midterm elections just 11 months away, Vice President JD Vance made a visit to one of the most closely watched swing districts in the country. His goal was to encourage Pennsylvania voters to channel their frustration over the economy toward the Democratic Party rather than the Trump administration.

During a speech at Uline Shipping Supplies in Alburtis, located in the Lehigh Valley, Vance took aim at the housing shortage, blaming immigrants for the issue. He also referenced Charles Manson, echoing President Donald Trump’s rhetoric from a previous event in the Poconos. This move highlighted the ongoing strategy by Trump and his allies to shift blame for economic challenges onto the Democratic Party.

Vance's visit targeted the district of U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, while Trump had previously spoken in the district of U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan. Both freshman Republicans narrowly won their seats last year and are considered among the most vulnerable incumbents heading into the 2026 election. Their districts are key battlegrounds for both parties as they prepare for the next round of congressional contests.

Both speeches were framed as focusing on the economy, with Trump and Vance aiming to counter the Democrats' message on affordability. However, the discussions quickly expanded into various topics, reflecting the broader political landscape.

Despite the wide range of subjects, Vance emphasized the White House's stance that while egg prices might still be high, the administration is working to address pocketbook issues and restore confidence in the economy. “Even though we’ve made incredible progress, we understand that there’s a lot more work to do, and the thing that I’d ask from the American people is a little bit of patience,” he said.

Affordability and Blame Shifting

Vance did not explicitly call the affordability crisis a “Democratic hoax” as Trump did, but he attributed the issue to the Democratic Party. “When I hear the Democrats talk about the affordability crisis they created,” Vance said, “it’s a little bit like ... Charles Manson criticizing violent crime. Look in the mirror my friend, you are the cause of the problem.”

This line echoed Trump’s previous remarks, where he compared Democrats’ focus on affordability to Bonnie and Clyde preaching about public safety. Vance claimed that Democrats started criticizing the price of eggs even when Trump was in office for less than a week. According to him, the president responded by saying, “Lady, we’ve been here for three days. It takes a little bit of time to fix something that was so fundamentally broken.”

Vance argued that every affordability crisis in the United States—food, housing, medicine, gas—is due to the “nightmare of an economy” inherited from Joe Biden. He further blamed the previous administration’s immigration policies for driving up housing costs, claiming that 20 million illegal immigrants took homes that should have gone to American citizens.

However, fact-checkers have noted that there are around 12 million to 14 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and experts say the housing shortage stems from insufficient construction of affordable homes. Additionally, immigrants often share housing with friends or relatives, reducing their average housing consumption.

Response from Democrats

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is up for reelection next year, countered Vance’s claims on social media, arguing that Trump’s policies, including cuts to Medicaid and tariffs, are worsening the cost-of-living crisis for Pennsylvanians. “Donald Trump and JD Vance’s economic policies are hurting Pennsylvania. They have raised prices at the grocery store, screwed over our farmers, and gutted healthcare funding,” Shapiro said on X. “I know this Administration thinks the cost of living is a ‘hoax’ — but it’s not, and Pennsylvania families know it.”

Firing Federal Workers and Job Reports

In his speech, Vance highlighted the November jobs report, which was delayed due to the government shutdown. The report showed 64,000 jobs added to the economy, an improvement over the over 100,000 jobs lost in October. Vance spun the numbers positively, suggesting that the job losses were federal government jobs eliminated under the Trump administration.

“That is, in a lot of ways, what we’re trying to do under President Trump’s leadership,” Vance said. “We wanted to fire bureaucrats and hire these Americans out here.” He praised Mackenzie for his dedication to American workers and addressed the 4.6% November unemployment rate, the highest since 2021 during the pandemic.

Vance explained that many of the unemployed may have lost their jobs two years ago under Biden and stopped looking for work. As wages rise and investment flows into the U.S., these individuals are now seeking jobs again, leading to a higher unemployment rate. “That is exactly what we want,” Vance said, attributing the increase to Trump’s leadership.

Tax Policies and Future Plans

Vance outlined Trump’s plans to help Americans cope financially, including omitting taxes on tips and overtime, as well as creating a tax deduction for interest on auto loans. These measures, he claimed, would lead to significant tax refunds and result in “the best tax season in 2026 that you’ve ever had.”

He added that middle-class Pennsylvanians would benefit from having “a president and Congress fighting for you for a change.”

Vance Responds to Vanity Fair Article

During a question-and-answer session, Vance was asked about a recent Vanity Fair article that included critical comments from Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. She described some members of the administration in unflattering terms, including labeling Vance a “conspiracy theorist for a decade.”

While Vance did not directly address the claim, he acknowledged that he “sometimes” is a conspiracy theorist but insisted that he only believes in “conspiracies that are true.” As an example, he cited his belief in the theory that the media and government were covering up Joe Biden’s inability to perform his duties.

Vance said that such theories turned out to be true “six months before the media admitted it.” He then added that if anyone in the Trump administration learned a lesson from the Vanity Fair article, it’s that “we should be giving fewer interviews to mainstream media.”