JD Vance discusses economic issues in Philadelphia as Republicans focus on battleground states
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago, the Republican ticket is focusing on battleground states, including Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance visited the commonwealth Monday. Trump spoke in York, Pennsylvania, and Vance was in Philadelphia.
Vance made his second trip to Philadelphia in the last two weeks. On Aug. 6, he held a campaign event at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. He was at DiSorb Systems, a veteran-owned medical product manufacturer and distributor in North Philadelphia on Monday.
A new CBS News/YouGov poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris holding a 3-point lead over Trump nationally and shows the two candidates even across the battleground states. The poll has Harris and Trump tied in Pennsylvania. According to the survey, the economy was voters' leading "major factor" in November.
Vance's visit to Philadelphia on Monday focused on economic and energy issues. During his speech, Vance highlighted the campaign's economic plan, which includes "stopping reckless spending" and "unleashing American energy."
"We believe that if we make more stuff in America, Pennsylvania workers, Pennsylvania families are going to benefit," Vance said.
Vance claimed Trump would ease regulations to bring manufacturing back stateside and promised to lower energy costs.
"We're going to unleash American energy, which drives down the cost of manufacturing," Vance said.
The VP nominee also believes the Trump-Vance ticket can win Pennsylvania.
"We absolutely can win," Vance said. "We're going to win the whole state of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Look, I'd ask voters in Philadelphia and across the whole state a very simple question. Has your life been better off under Democrat leadership? Have your communities gotten safer under Democrat leadership? Have your wages kept up with affordability under Democrat leadership? And because the answer is no, I think that Americans, Pennsylvanians and the citizens of this city are ready for a change. They're ready for the presidency of Donald J. Trump."
In a press release, the Trump-Vance campaign was quick to attack Democrats on "economic failures." They highlighted issues from inflation and gas prices in Pennsylvania to "anti-American energy policies" and job cuts.
"We all know the cost of food, gas, clothing and utilities have risen tremendously the past four years," DiSorb Systems CEO Ted McLaughlin said. "But it's the same for manufacturers."
The campaign event comes amid cooling inflation. In July, it fell to its lowest level in three years. However, the July jobs report showed employers added 114,000 jobs, far fewer than economists expected, and unemployment rose to 4.3%.
In a statement, the Harris-Walz campaign partially said, "The Trump-Vance Project 2025 agenda couldn't be further from what Philly voters are looking for. Pennsylvanians kicked Trump out of office in 2020 because he made their lives worse."
The Trump and Vance events are part of a weeklong push focused on the themes of the Republican National Convention. According to the campaign, Monday's theme was "Make America Wealthy Again." They will continue their tour Tuesday, with Vance headed to Wisconsin and Trump to Michigan to speak on different issues from crime and safety to the border.
