Vice President JD Vance returned to his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, on Friday, staging a campaign event at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works. The facility, formerly known as Armco Steel, served as the workplace for his grandfather, James Vance, for nearly four decades. Standing in the same space where his grandfather once worked, Vance used the backdrop to emphasize his Rust Belt heritage and advocate for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.
Reflecting on his family history, Vance told the crowd, “Papaw was a welder in this place for 40 years, and today his grandson stands here as the vice president of these United States. It’s an amazing thing.” He framed the current political landscape by contrasting the Democratic Party of his grandfather’s era with the party of today, which he characterized as the “party of graduate students.” He argued that his grandfather believed many politicians were corrupt and had abandoned the interests of towns like Middletown.
Vance attributed the economic struggles of the region to decades of free trade and open immigration policies supported by both major political parties, which he claimed led to the outsourcing of factory jobs and the rise of the opioid crisis. He asserted that the Trump administration is working to reverse what he described as “40 years of American decline.” While acknowledging that these challenges would not be solved overnight, he pointed to Donald Trump’s trade and immigration policies—specifically tariffs—as essential tools for protecting domestic manufacturing jobs.
However, the Congressional Budget Office has noted that Trump’s tariff policies have contributed to increased costs for Americans, as import taxes have raised prices for both foreign and domestic goods. Despite these economic headwinds, Vance and Trump maintained strong support in the area during the 2024 election, winning approximately 62% of the vote in the city’s precincts.
The event in Middletown marks the beginning of an expected increase in Vance’s travel, with plans for more public appearances and fundraisers in the near future. Before arriving at the steel plant, Vance stopped at a local pastry shop to purchase doughnuts and discuss the “no tax on tips” provision included in tax legislation signed by Trump last year. Later, he visited a Cincinnati chili restaurant, where he served beer and food to patrons.
Ohio’s political landscape has shifted significantly during the Trump era, though Democrats are currently targeting the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat. Senator Jon Husted is defending his seat against former Senator Sherrod Brown, a former senator who has focused his campaign on opposing artificial intelligence data centers. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has warned that public backlash against these centers could jeopardize Husted’s position. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy, a key ally of Vance, is running for governor against Democrat Amy Acton. Both Husted and Ramaswamy, along with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, spoke at the Middletown rally.
Vance, whose family maintains a home in Cincinnati, is also preparing for a trip to Brewer, Maine, on Monday to support former Republican Governor Paul LePage in his race against state auditor Matt Dunlap. This visit to Middletown was Vance’s first public appearance since the birth of his fourth child in July. The report also notes that the vice president said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do” and “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or it’s all going to happen overnight,” but he said Trump was trying to reverse “40 years of American decline.” He pointe. The report also notes that “He hated the people who forgot about this town when they should have been fighting for this town,” Vance said. The report also notes that saying that for 40 years they espoused policies of free trade and open immigration that led to factory jobs being shipped overseas and an eventual scourge of opioids left behind, which he blamed on “a lot of cartels” and “the fentanyl trade,” which he said came along with “some innocent people” across the border, vance blamed politicians of both major political parties. The report also notes that in his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance described the steel plant as an economic savior that brought his grandparents from Kentucky’s hills into the American middle class. The report also notes that he described how his grandfather would boast upon seeing an old Ford or Chevy that its steel was made by his company.
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