Vice President JD Vance asserted on Friday that Democratic policies have led to "millions of orphans" and an increase in suicides, particularly in communities affected by job outsourcing and the opioid crisis. Speaking at a steel factory in Middletown, Ohio, Vance argued that previous administrations facilitated the outsourcing of American jobs and the importation of fentanyl, which he stated has caused approximately 400,000 deaths over the past seven years.
Vance recounted the story of Kevin Flanagan, a California computer programmer who died by suicide in 2003 after being required to train his replacements who were hired from India. The Vice President suggested a correlation between job losses due to outsourcing and the escalation of the opioid crisis in affected areas. "The open borders demanded by those same people brought some innocent people, of course it did. But we also know that it brought a lot of cartels. It brought the fentanyl trade, and it left us with millions of orphaned children being raised by aggrieved grandparents," Vance stated.
He directly linked these issues to what he described as "Democrats" who "sell out their country for a cheap bottom line." Vance contended that "the Biden border invasion" contributed to millions of illegal immigrants entering the country, competing for jobs and housing. He contrasted this with the Trump administration's focus on reducing illegal border crossings and increasing U.S. citizen employment.
Vance invoked the legacy of Huey Long, a former Louisiana governor and senator, as an example of a politician with the right approach to improving citizens' lives through government. "Huey Long... once said ‘every man a king’ was the goal of his political program, but no man is a king if their castle is under siege by criminals," Vance said, drawing a parallel to the need for personal security and economic stability.
The Vice President also criticized prominent Democrats, including Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and contrasted Vance's own stance with that of Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who Vance stated has not opposed the current administration's border and economic policies. Vance highlighted policies enacted by the Trump-Vance administration, such as tax cuts on overtime pay and tips, as beneficial to the working class. He emphasized his commitment to fighting for the "blessings of liberty, for a neighborhood that’s safe, a job that’s dignified, a church that’s protected."