J.D. Vance tells Wisconsin voters that Democrats ‘don’t serve you’

Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday told Wisconsin voters that congressional Democrats “don’t answer to you,” pointing to their actions at the State of the Union address as a reason for voters to support Republicans in November.

Mr. Vance said Democrats refused to stand when President Trump, during his speech on Tuesday, recognized victims of crime by unauthorized immigrants.  

“It hit me that these Democrats — most of them, they don’t serve you,” Mr. Vance said at a manufacturing facility in Plover, Wisconsin.

The vice president said Democrats support “corruption” while the Trump team and its GOP allies are focused on U.S. citizens, pointing to efforts on border security and tax benefits in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill. 

Mr. Vance painted the contrast in his first trip since Mr. Trump used his State of the Union address late Tuesday to promise an economic turnaround in 2026.

Senior Democrats said Mr. Trump offered few concrete solutions during his prime-time speech. Surveys suggest people are still concerned about affordability when it comes to housing, utilities and other everyday costs.

“He’s in a bubble, he doesn’t have a clue about what the average American family is going through,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “Donald Trump patted himself on the back so many times, I thought he’d fall down.”

Eyeing the midterms in November, Mr. Vance said the Trump administration is still digging out of a hole left by President Biden. The administration points to cooling inflation and signs that people’s wages are starting to catch up with costs.

“You caused an affordability problem, congressional Democrats, and we are here to fix it,” Mr. Vance said.

Mr. Vance delivered his speech in a competitive House district represented by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican. 

Democrats are targeting the district this election cycle as they look to retake the House majority, so Mr. Vance highlighted the congressman’s votes to eliminate taxes on tips and certain benefits.

“You get to Washington, there are people you can trust, there are people you can’t trust,” Mr. Vance said. “Derrick is one of those guys you can trust to always fight for the people in this room.”

Mr. Vance said the Trump administration is working overtime to root out fraud in government programs, pointing to “Somali fraudsters” in Minnesota who made false claims and collected checks from a program designed to help autistic kids.

Mr. Vance also supported calls to ban members of Congress from using inside information to trade stocks.

The vice president spent much of his speech scolding Democrats who refused to stand up when Mr. Trump asked his State of the Union audience to support sympathetic figures in the chamber. Democrats refused to go along with Mr. Trump’s demands, viewing them as theatrics.

“We cannot give power back to congressional Democrats,” Mr. Vance said, adding that during Mr. Trump’s speech, “All I could think was: These people are kind of crazy.”