What Does JD Vance Really Believe? Unpacking His Political Flip-Flops (3 of 4)

Stance on Economic Populism

In past years, Vance expressed concern and skepticism about the expansion of federal entitlement programs, and believed that this was indicative of “dependency culture.” He felt that there should be work requirements for welfare and was more in favor of self-reliance.

Now in more recent remarks, especially during his campaign for vice president, Vance showed support for protecting programs like Social Security and Medicare, and even hinted at support for expanding additional child benefits. He accused corporations of trying to steal social programs that benefit working-class Americans.

This is a clear and dramatic shift towards economic populism, which is more in line with Trump’s brand of politics—a stark contrast to his initial messaging about personal responsibility. Economic populism and Vance’s stance on it represent another cumbersome example of a political figure constantly leaning towards being a political chameleon.