Vice President JD Vance recently traveled to Bay City, Michigan to speak at a manufacturing plant to tout President Donald Trump's economic agenda, and was welcomed by a crowd of protesters.
But once he was inside the event at Vantage Plastics, Vance ridiculed the protesters — many of whom carried signs bearing messages like "protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security" and "fascists not welcome in Michigan" — and suggested that they were only protesting him because they didn't have anything better to do. Some of the protesters' signs were also focused on South African centibillionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has repeatedly called for cutting Social Security by hundreds of billions of dollars, and recently railed against the New Deal program as a scheme by Democrats to entice undocumented immigrants to get free money and vote for them in elections (undocumented immigrants don't qualify for Social Security benefits and are not able to vote).
"I'm sure all of us saw there were a few protesters outside," Vance said. "And I can't be the only person wondering, you know, it's a cool afternoon, on a Friday, and don't you all have jobs?"
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"Oh, I was livid," wrote one Bluesky user who was escorted out of the event. "Like 2nd [shift]? 3rd? Splits? Part-time? Retired? Hypocrite, what about his invite-only crowd?"
Vance visited the plastics manufacturing plant Friday alongside U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler as the Trump administration is facing growing backlash in response to his tariffs imposed on Canada, China and Mexico. This week, he announced 50% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products from Canada, prompting Canada to announce retaliatory tariffs on some American goods. This week also marked the worst for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since March of 2023.
The impact of Trump's tariffs is projected to cost the average American household anywhere from $1,600 to $2,000 more per year, according to Yale University's Budget Lab. Vance stressed that the tariffs wouldn't impact American companies that made their products domestically — and issued what could be interpreted as a veiled threat to companies still relying on imports.
“Our administration’s plan, our goal is to make it easier and more affordable, to make things within the United States of America. If you invest in America, in American jobs, in American workers, in American businesses, you’re going to be rewarded. We’re going to cut your taxes, we’re going to slash regulations and we’re going to reduce the cost of energy, to build things right here in this country that all of us love,” the vice president said. “But if you try to undercut us and build outside of our borders, then President Trump’s administration has got nothing for you.”
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Watch the video of Vance below, or by clicking this link.