Vice President JD Vance made stop in the Lehigh Valley this morning to deliver a speech on the economy. Approximately 500 people gathered at Uline Shipping Facilities in Lower Macungie Township to see the Vice President who was introduced by U.S. Representative Ryan Mackenzie and U.S. Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez- DeRemer.
"And it’s an honor, to work with him, to put you, the American worker, first. Please join me in welcoming the Vice President of the United States, Mr. JD Vance."
Mr. Vance stood in front of a banner that read 'Lower Prices, Bigger Paychecks' and the bulk of his speech dealt with economic issues. This coming after more bad news for the administration after a recent AP Poll found that only 31 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. Mr. Vance tried to assure the audience that things were on the right track.
"Under this president my friends, we are building again, we are investing in the United States of America again, you heard our Secretary of Labor talk about it, 61,000 jobs added in the month of November and that’s not all. We saw private sector wage growth grow at a rate of 4.2%, you know what that means? That means that we’re seeing the fastest private sector wage growth that we have seen in this country in many, many years. And we’re doing it by having a president and an administration that believes in you and fights for you. That is what we’re trying to do every single day."
Supporter John Zawistowski gave his reasons for attending.
"I came here to hear more about the Big Beautiful Bill and how it’s going to help us in 2026. I’m excited about the year to come. A lot of good things are happening in this country and I realize maybe for a lot of people things aren’t happening quick enough but we didn’t get put in this hole in one year and it’s going to take more than a year to dig our way out."
Hamburg resident and diner owner Tammy Delucia gave personal reasons for her support.
"We knew that without Trump and Vance getting into office, I was probably going to have to lock the door to my business and I wouldn’t be where I am today. So we are here to show our support for this administration and everything that they are doing for the working people."
Area resident Steve Wilson believes that things are improving under this administration.
"Lowering overall costs to consumers requires lowering energy costs and tax breaks. And they’re providing all those things. The ship is turning in the right direction. I think it’s an important thing that the vice president can go out on the stump and. illustrate to the American people that the ship is turning in the right direction."
Jace Figueroa was impressed with the speech but hopes that the administration can fulfill its promises.
"So with regards to the economy, I think he gave a pretty good explanation of how the administration plans to tackle some of these issues and you know he also did what I guess you could call debunking some of the statistics in regards to like jobs added and employment rates. The ultimate question that we’re going to go into in these next eleven months up until the midterms is if they can actually deliver. And you know, we’ll figure that out in the midterms."
For Talina Stackhouse, the federal Child Tax Credit in the Big Beautiful Bill is especially important.
"And I actually liked the speech. I really was informed by JD Vance to go ahead and be able to get the child income credit. And that’s something that really matters to single parents and people that are working hard. Every dollar counts and we need that."
