Vance: GOP must address economic roots of socialism’s appeal or ‘blame ourselves’

Vice President JD Vance warned Republicans Aug. 13 not to blame young Americans for socialism’s growing appeal if the party fails to address the economic pressures that he said are fueling it.

Appearing on FOX News’ “The Will Cain Show,” Vance responded to host Will Cain’s question about young people who say they followed the traditional path of attending college and finding a job but still cannot attain the economic security or standard of living their parents enjoyed. 

“Our response to socialism — which is a dangerous and destructive ideology; it's been tried in the past and failed — our response to that can't be just to ignore the economic concerns that I think are feeding this rising interest in socialism,” Vance said.

“If we don’t get this right, don’t blame young people for being sympathetic to socialism,” he said to the GOP. “We’ve got to blame ourselves.”

Vance said he would tell young Americans facing economic pressures: “You, as an American citizen, deserve to have a good life in this country, and you deserve to have a government that is making it easier for you to start a family, for you to afford to get a good education, for you to have a good job, for you to afford a home.” 

He said the Trump administration is already seeing positive results from its economic agenda, although such changes “take a little bit of time.” 

Vance pointed to trillions of dollars in announced investments that he said would create more middle-class jobs and touted “stabilized” housing prices following increases under the Biden administration.

“You don’t stop socialism by throwing slogans at people about the free market,” he concluded. “As much as I love the free market, you stop socialism by making people’s lives better, and that’s what we’re trying to do every single day.”

As the midterm elections approach, economic concerns are at the forefront of voters’ minds, according to a July Pew Research Center survey that found that voters most wanted candidates to address the economy, particularly prices and affordability.

Housing remains particularly expensive. The median U.S. home-sale price reached more than $407,000 in July, according to real estate brokerage Redfin. In a separate analysis, Redfin estimated that a household needed to earn nearly $110,000 annually to afford the typical U.S. home in June, about $22,000 more than the estimated median household income of $87,599.

Vance made a similar argument during a July 15 interview with Joe Rogan, arguing that decades of economic policy, including the loss of manufacturing jobs and the growing financialization of the economy, contributed to young Americans’ frustration. He said it was “part of our job” to offer them an alternative rather than “doing the same things that we’ve done for the past 40 years,” as Zeale News previously reported. 

>> Vance: GOP risks pushing young Americans toward socialism without economic fixes <<

The remarks come as socialist and progressive candidates have gained ground in several Democratic primaries across the country, as Zeale News reported. Abdul El-Sayed recently won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, while Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan secured her party’s Senate nomination. Both candidates advanced economic proposals addressing affordability and housing and health care costs.

Democratic Socialists of America member Francesca Hong, however, lost Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary despite receiving nearly 300,000 votes but is set to campaign with her former opponent, David Crowley. 

>> Democratic gubernatorial nominee Crowley to campaign alongside former rival Hong <<

Several prominent Catholic voices, including Bishop Robert Barron, CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt and Vice President of Advocacy Joshua Mercer, have repeatedly warned against the growing influence of socialism and communism in American politics. 

In a July statement, Reinhardt urged Catholics to undertake the cultural work necessary to recover “the transmission of a civilization — rooted in Christianity — worth being grateful for” to help counter socialism’s appeal.

“Vote — and vote informed — as we approach the midterms,” Reinhardt also said. “And encourage others to do so.”