During back-to-back campaign stops in swing states on Aug. 28, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) told workers that he and former President Donald Trump are championing policies that will boost trucking and manufacturing with the aim to improve the economy for all Americans.
“We want truckers to be empowered instead of throttled,” Vance told people gathered at Team Hardinger, a trucking and warehousing company in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Hours later, Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, also campaigned in another battleground state, Wisconsin; there, he spoke at AmeriLux International, a manufacturer and distributor of building materials.
In both speeches, Vance pledged that if he and Trump win the Nov. 5 election, they will reverse policies that he said are hurting trucking, manufacturing, and the U.S. economy overall.
The policies of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have discouraged reliance on fossil fuels and favor electric-powered vehicles. The result has been increased costs for truckers, and hence consumers,Vance said.
He noted that trucks haul food and goods to stores. “If the truckers are paying more for fuel we’re all paying more for everything,” he said to the audience in De Pere,Wisconsin.
The American Trucking Association says that a typical long-haul,clean-diesel tractor costs about $200k while a comparable electric one costs nearly $500k.About 95% of all trucking companies are small businesses with 10 trucks or fewer,the association adds,and they cannot afford pricier electric trucks.“If you force all these great truckers to buy electric trucks instead of the trucks they’re currently using,you’re going to make this inflation crisis way worse,”Vance told Pennsylvanians urging people to vote for Republican ticket rather than Democratic presidential nominee Harris,and her running mate Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz.“You think [the prices of] groceries are bad wait until Kamala Harris makes every American trucker drive an electrictruck,”Vance said.“You think car prices are bad wait until Kamala Harris makes everybody buy a Chinese-madeelectric vehicle.”
Such policies are “a disaster”he said“not just fortruckers,but foreverybody who relies on them which is everybody.”
Vance saidthatheandTrumpwill takethree major steps to“endthishorribleaffordabilitycrisis.”Firsttheywill haltthe influxof illegal immigrantswho competefor wagesagainstAmericanworkers.Secondtheywill“stopridiculousjob-killingregulationsliketheEV[electric-vehicle]mandate.”“Andnumberthree”hesaid“wearegoingto‘drill,babydrill.’We’vegotplentyofenergyrighthereinPennsylvania.Let’sgetitoutofthegroundwithPennsylvaniaworkers.”
Policies adversely affecting American industry predateHarris’sroleintheBidenWhiteHouse,Vancesaid.“Therewasaconsensusinthiscountryfor30yearsthatwedidn’tneedtomakeourownstuff.Andsonow,everything—fromalotofthesteelthatwerelyontothedrugsthatweputinthebodiesofourchildren—…it’smadebyouradversariesinsteadofmadebyAmericanworkers,”hesaid.“Wasn’tthatstupid?”
But,VancesaidTrumpisonepoliticalfigureduringhis lifetimewhosaid“No more of this.”HecreditedTrump’sfirsttermin2017–2021withcreating“abiggerboomforAmericanmanufacturingandAmericanenergythanwe’veseenthatbenefitsthepeopleofErie,Pennsylvania.”
VancedescribedErieas “abeautifulplace”thathasfallenbythewayside.Hesaiditreminds himofthesouthwestOhiocitywherehegrewup,Middletownwhichboasts “aproudmanufacturingandproudsteelmakingtradition.”
Eriehoweverhasbeen “leftbehind”becauseU.S.leaders “decidedweweregoingtoletcompaniesmakethingsusingChineseslavelabor,”hesaid.
“AndIhappentothinkweshouldn’texpectAmericanstocompetewithabunchofChineseslavelaborers,weshouldexpectAmericancompaniestohireAmericansandbuildintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Andifyoudomoreofthatyou’regoingtobringmorejobstoErie,Pennsylvania.”
During his speech in Wisconsin,Vance pointed outthatTrumpprefersto “punishthecompaniesthataredoingbusinesswiththecommunistChinese.”
Vancealso toldWisconsinitesthatcampaigning asvicepresidentforthepast sixweekshasbeen“The greatest honor of my life”andhasgivenhimtheopportunityto“seethiscountryfromatotallydifferentperspective.”
Thisexperiencehasshownhimthat“We havethemostbeautifulcountryinthentireworld…wehavegotnaturalresourcesthataretheenvyofntireworld.”
“TheChineseandRussianswouldkillforthestuffthatwehave righthereinWisconsinandalloacrossourgreatcountry”, Vancesaid.
“We havethebestworkersandbestfamiliesanywhereintheworld,and bytheway,wegotproudestculturalhistoricaltraditions,Ibelieve ,existanywhereonthefaceoearth.
“Theonlythingthatisbrokenaboutthiscountryisourfailedleadership.”
HesaidthatTrumphowever,is equaltojobleadingamericanpeople
Donaldtrumpispresidentforeveryamericancitizenrichorpoor.Wewantpeopletohaveagoodlifeincountryallofuslove.Vancesaids
WhileHarris,Walz,andtheir supporters haveoftenusedwordjoywhendiscussingtheircampaign,Vancesaidthatreflectsonconditions affectingmanypeopleUnitedStates.
“A lotoffellowcitizensespeciallypoorestAmericansandalotofourmiddle-classpeopletheycan’taffordfood;theycan’tafforda placetolive….YoungAmericanswanttobeabletobuyahouseandtheycan’tafford it”, hesaids
Still,himselfbelievesrealhopethebestdaysofcountryaheadus.Vancesays
That’sbecause”webestpeoplewebestworkers”,becausetrumpifreelectedaspresident,”workforyoueverysingle day”,vancsaid
Heurged: “Get out there tell everypersonyouknowwhy you’re votingfordonaldtrump.Getyourfriendsandyourfamilytopolls.”