JD Vance chosen as Trump’s running mate, targets Biden’s support for NAFTA and trade with China, advocating for American manufacturing and jobs

At the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, recently selected as former President Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, delivered a primetime speech criticizing President Biden’s trade policies. Vance specifically targeted Biden’s support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and trade deals with China, which he argued have harmed American manufacturing jobs and communities like his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.

“I grew up in Middletown, Ohio, a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands, and loved their God, their family, their community, and their country with their whole hearts,” Vance began. “But it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by America’s ruling class in Washington.”

Vance recounted how Biden’s support for NAFTA during his fourth-grade years led to the loss of countless jobs to Mexico, and how Biden’s later endorsement of favourable trade deals with China further devastated American manufacturing during his high school years.

“When I was in fourth grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA, a bad trade deal that sent countless good jobs to Mexico,” Vance said. “When I was a sophomore in high school, that same career politician named Joe Biden gave China a sweetheart trade deal that destroyed even more good American middle-class manufacturing jobs.”

NAFTA, passed by Congress in 1993 with bipartisan support, faced heavy criticism from Trump, who campaigned on renegotiating the agreement. By 2019, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico had agreed on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which updated and revised NAFTA while incorporating new oversight and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Vance also criticized the decision to grant China’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status in 2000, a key step for China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). This status, which requires WTO member nations to offer the same trade terms to all other members, has been blamed for encouraging U.S. manufacturing to move offshore, impacting American workers.

“We’re done importing foreign labour. We’re going to fight for American citizens and their good wages,” Vance declared. “We’re done sacrificing supply chains to unlimited global trade, and we’re going to stamp more and more products with that beautiful label, ‘Made in the USA.'”

Vance outlined the goals of a potential Trump-Vance administration, emphasizing a commitment to rebuilding American factories and protecting American jobs from foreign competition, particularly from China. “We’re going to build factories again, put people to work making real products for American families made with the hands of American workers. Together, we will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens,” he concluded.

Analysis:

Political:

JD Vance’s speech at the Republican National Convention represents a continuation of Trump’s America-first trade policies, focusing on renegotiating deals that they argue have disadvantaged American workers. By highlighting Biden’s past support for NAFTA and trade deals with China, Vance aims to underscore what they view as the detrimental impact of these policies on the American middle class. This rhetoric is designed to resonate with voters who feel left behind by globalization and trade liberalization.

Social:

Vance’s speech touches on the broader societal debates about the impact of globalization on small-town America. By evoking his own experiences in Middletown, Ohio, Vance connects with a demographic that feels disenfranchised by economic changes. This narrative feeds into the broader discourse on the social and economic divide between urban and rural America, and the struggle of small towns to remain viable in a globalized economy.

Racial:

While Vance’s speech does not explicitly address racial issues, the themes of job loss and economic displacement are closely tied to racial and ethnic communities. The loss of manufacturing jobs has disproportionately affected minority communities in urban areas. By focusing on American jobs and manufacturing, the speech indirectly speaks to the economic challenges faced by diverse racial groups in these regions.

Gender:

The impact of trade policies on gender is multifaceted. The decline of manufacturing jobs has affected men and women differently, with men often more directly impacted due to the traditionally male-dominated nature of manufacturing work. Vance’s emphasis on rebuilding factories and manufacturing jobs speaks to this gendered economic reality, potentially appealing to working-class men who have been hardest hit by these economic shifts.

Economical:

Economically, Vance’s critique of Biden’s trade policies aligns with protectionist sentiments that advocate for reducing dependency on imports and boosting domestic production. The promise to end “unlimited global trade” and prioritize “Made in the USA” products aims to revitalize the American manufacturing sector. This strategy also implies a shift towards economic nationalism, focusing on strengthening the domestic economy by rebuilding the industrial base and ensuring higher wages for American workers.