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JD Vance’s Journey: From Tariff Critic to Trump’s Economic Advocate

Vice President JD Vance, once a vocal opponent of protectionist trade policies, now champions sweeping tariffs as part of the Trump administration's 'Liberation Day' economic agenda.

Overview

  • Vice President JD Vance has undergone a significant ideological shift, evolving from a 'Never Trump' critic to a key advocate for Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies.
  • Vance previously argued that automation and technological changes, not globalization, were the primary drivers of U.S. job losses, dismissing tariffs as ineffective.
  • In 2017, Vance described Trump’s tariff proposals as fighting 'yesterday’s war,' asserting that manufacturing jobs lost to automation were gone for good.
  • By 2019, Vance began to credit Trump’s first-term policies with changing his perspective, culminating in his vocal support for the administration’s 'Liberation Day' tariffs in 2025.
  • Vance’s transformation reflects broader shifts within the Republican Party, where populist economic policies have gained prominence alongside Trump’s vision of 'economic independence.'