Vice President JD Vance on Thursday delivered one of the administration’s most candid acknowledgments yet of Americans’ frustrations with high costs, assuring voters that the Trump White House understands the strain and is working to bring prices down.
According to The Associated Press, speaking at a Breitbart News event, Vance said the administration has “a lot more work to do” and emphasized that people should have “a little bit of patience” as Republicans push forward on their economic agenda.
“We hear you,” he said. “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.”
The remarks reflect the administration’s ongoing struggle to find the right message on affordability — an issue that proved to be a political weak spot for Republicans in this month’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Voters in both states cited the cost of living as a top concern.
Vance argued that President Donald Trump has “made incredible progress” reversing former President Joe Biden’s policies and laying the groundwork for stronger growth. But he also acknowledged what many voters have seen in their day-to-day purchases.
Trump has defended his record, frequently pointing to gas and egg prices as examples of improvement. He has dismissed Democrats’ affordability arguments as “a con job,” but in recent days signaled a shift, conceding that “there is room” for prices to drop further.
During the event, Vance was also pressed on recent fractures within Trump’s Make America Great Again coalition — from Trump’s public break with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to the uproar over his refusal to distance himself from white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who recently appeared in a friendly interview with commentator Tucker Carlson.
Vance didn’t address those disputes directly, but suggested the disagreements are a natural part of a large political movement.
“It’s totally reasonable for the people who make up this coalition to argue,” he said, adding that differences are healthy as long as the broader movement stays focused on “a radical leftist movement” that he believes threatens their shared priorities.
“Have our debates — but focus on the enemy, so that we can win victories that matter for the American people,” he said.
The vice president stressed that Republican unity will be crucial heading into next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Vance warned that the working-class voters who propelled Trump to the White House do not always turn out in midterm years.
“I think that’s one of the lessons that we learned in Virginia and New Jersey,” Vance said. “When Donald Trump is not on the ballot, you’ve got to give people something to actually believe in, something to be inspired by. They’re not going to vote just because you have an ‘R’ next to your name.”
