Vance Asks Americans for Patience as Trump Admin Manages Inflation, Economy 

WASHINGTON—Vice President JD Vance urged Americans on Nov. 20 to give the Trump administration time to work through economic issues that he said had been years in the making.

“I guess my message to the American people who are still feeling like things are unaffordable, who are still feeling like things are rough out there, is: ‘Look, we get it, and we hear you, and we know that there’s a lot of work to do,’” Vance said.

“Even though we’ve made incredible progress, we understand that there’s a lot more work to do, and the thing that I ask from the American people is a little bit of patience.”

He made the remarks while speaking to a crowd of dignitaries and business leaders at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium during a conversation with Breitbart’s Matt Boyle.

The vice president detailed what he described as fiscal mismanagement during previous years that resulted in the current economic conditions.

“This economy was not harmed in 10 months. It took a deliberate four-year administration that was making life harder for everyday Americans, that was importing foreign workers instead of giving jobs to American workers, that was over-regulating, overtaxing, overspending, they were doing everything wrong,” Vance said.

“And as much progress as we’ve made, it’s going to take a little bit of time for every American to feel that economic boom, which we really do believe is coming, or we believe that we’re out the front end of it. But we recognize that we’ve got a lot of work to do to undo the damage that [President] Joe Biden did to the American economy.”

He said progress is underway, noting that since January, take home pay for Americans increased by about $1,200, after adjusting for inflation.

Vance also cited a recent jobs report, delayed from September, that showed the workforce grew by about 190,000 positions, primarily for native-born Americans in the private sector.

“That’s a huge, huge thing, and this jobs report confirms … the economy is actually going up,” Vance said.

“The best thing that you can say about the Trump economy is the American jobs are going to American workers for a change.”

He estimated that effects from the shutdown will be “very, very minor” after lawmakers reached an agreement following a 43-day stalemate.

Other administration policies—including those related to tariffs, peacekeeping, and border security—are achieving intended results, according to Vance.

He labeled President Donald Trump a “peacemaking president” and a “humanitarian” who employs business and economic strategies to negotiate peace.

“Because when countries aren’t fighting each other, when they’re actually using their economic talents to manufacture good things, rather than weapons to kill each other, then that actually creates incredible economic opportunities for Americans,” Vance said.

“If we get more peace in the world, it’s good for American workers, and it’s good for the American people.”

When questioned about in-fighting within the Republican Party regarding foreign policy, among other matters, the vice president called on voters to unite behind shared objectives and beliefs.

“I think that we have to remember that we have a lot more in common than we do not have in common,” Vance said.

The makeup of the Grand Old Party is changing, he said, as more working-class Americans voted for Republicans in the 2024 election than in recent years.

“I think that part of what you see as division of the Republican Party is a consequence of this realignment,” Vance said. “We have people who didn’t used to vote Republican, and frankly, they have different preferences, sometimes on certain issues, than maybe the Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush Republican Party did.”

He vowed to maintain the coalition, saying he was proud to represent “the human beings who actually make this country run.”