The Shift in JD Vance’s Economic Perspective

Nathan Howard captured Vice President JD Vance at Emmen Air Base, Switzerland, before his departure on Air Force Two following high-level talks with Iran in June 2026. Vance, known for his 2016 book Hillbilly Elegy, once advocated for free enterprise and personal responsibility to restore prosperity in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio. A decade later, as vice president, his perspective has evolved.

Recently, on “The Michael Knowles Show,” Vance endorsed Hamiltonian over laissez-faire economics. He stated, “The economy is a tool to service the dignity of the human person.” Yet, his proposed interventionist policies aimed at supporting family life and community involvement neither enhance dignity nor bolster American families effectively.

Vance noted that Milton Friedman-style economics worked better when a strong Christian culture prevailed, providing essential moral frameworks. He argued these policies are less defensible in an era marked by “globalized liberalism.” This view aligns with the New Right’s sentiment, often articulated by Patrick Deneen, that progressive values and globalization need countering through government intervention.

Deneen recommends federal relief through tariffs and subsidies to support families. Vance, identifying with Deneen’s “postliberal right,” has promoted these New Right economic policies. However, the decline of the American family dates back to before trade agreements like NAFTA.

Significant legal shifts, such as no-fault divorce laws beginning in California in 1969, and cultural changes diminished marriage norms. Economic boosts, like fracking booms, have not reversed these family trends. Financial revitalization has not restored traditional values encouraging stable, two-parent households.

Vance’s agenda, including the Trump-era tariffs he supports, has not spurred a manufacturing resurgence. A year after the tariffs, manufacturing jobs fell by about 100,000. In 2026, the average American family faces over $2,500 in tariff-related costs, a 43% rise from the previous year.

Protectionist policies often favor large, well-connected industries, leaving ordinary people shouldering the burden. Industries not benefiting from tariffs have also secured exemptions through lobbying.

The Vance-endorsed approach, which allows the government to decide on tariffs and subsidies, may not enhance human dignity. Rather, it can reduce the ability of Americans to support families and communities. True renewal will come by empowering Americans to innovate in a free economy, without federal obstruction.

As a potential leader of American conservatism, Vance and his supporters might benefit from revisiting the ideas in Hillbilly Elegy.

Aidan Grogan is an associate editor at the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal and a senior contributor with Young Voices. He is pursuing a history Ph.D. at Liberty University. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material is not authorized for publication, broadcast, rewriting, or redistribution.