Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio said this week that the economic policies of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would result in Americans getting higher wages.
Vance made these comments during the first and only vice presidential debate, which took place earlier this week. As Vance said:
“Donald Trump delivered for the American people rising wages, rising take-home pay, an economy that works for normal Americans, a secure southern border, a lot of things, frankly, that I didn’t think he’d be able to deliver on.”
Vance made a slight reference at the close of that statement to his previous doubts about Trump, who the Ohio senator opposed before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won.
He continued:
“[When] Donald Trump was president, inflation was low, take-home pay was higher, and he saved the very [healthcare] program from a Democratic administration that was collapsing and would have collapsed absent his leadership.”
Vance is generally considered to be a populist candidate. During the debate, he mentioned wages for Americans more than 10 times.
It marked a decidedly different take from how candidates typically approach debates, as they tend to stay away from promising higher wages as a way to convince more voters to side with them.
The big contrast to Vance’s approach was what was done by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president.
During the debate, he promised that his ticket would bring more federal aid that would be given to Americans through non-profit organizations, tax payments and other government agencies.
On child care, for instance, he outlined the plan Democrats have when he said:
“Once that child is born, like in Minnesota, they get [government] meals, they get [government] early-childhood education, they get [government-funding] health care.”
Vance had a different take, saying that the trade policies Trump is touting would result in Americans having higher wages, which they could then use for whatever purpose they saw fit.
As he said:
“Think about this, if you’re trying to employ slave laborers in China at $3 a day, you’re going to do that and undercut the wages of American workers — unless our country stands up for itself and says you’re not accessing our markets unless you’re paying middle-class Americans a fair wage.”
He also discussed how immigration enforcement “will be really good for our workers who just want to earn a fair wage for doing a good day’s work.”
Many times, he defended the economic policies of Trump, especially the tax cuts that the former president initiated during his first term in the White House. He said:
“Donald Trump’s economic policies [delivered] the highest take-home pay in a generation in this country, 1.5% inflation, and to boot, peace and security all over the world.”
It’s a rosy picture that Vance is trying to paint of Trump’s policies. And since the economy is top-of-mind for so many voters in America today, it’s possible that it might work.
