Vice President JD Vance, in a recent interview, expressed concerns about the potential shift towards socialism among young Americans if economic issues are not addressed. Speaking with podcaster Joe Rogan, he noted the growing influence of democratic socialists and emphasized his discomfort with the trend.

During the interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vance mentioned his book “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” where he discusses historical economic norms. He believes that the Christian political economy model, prevalent in much of Western history, avoids both free market extremes and socialism. Vance urged conservatives to understand the appeal socialism has for young people.

Vance highlighted that recent economic approaches, such as relying on low-wage labor from abroad and outsourcing, contributed to rising socialist sentiments. He stated, “We were left in quite a hole by 40 years of bad policy,” attributing the current economic challenges to prolonged bipartisan leadership failures rather than one administration.

“This is 40 years of failed bipartisan leadership which has created, really, a kind of shell corporation out of the United States of America,” he said, urging for self-reliance and stronger worker rights.

Vance acknowledged efforts made under President Donald Trump to reverse negative economic trends. He discussed housing stability resulting from immigration policies to decrease competition for homes, emphasizing that owning property could deter a shift to socialism.

He referenced recent primary elections where socialist candidates won against Democratic incumbents as evidence of the changing political landscape. Vance shared a personal conversation highlighting affordability issues faced by professionals like engineers and military officers.

The vice president criticized the strategy of enhancing a finance-driven economy while neglecting industrial jobs, arguing this has fueled youth interest in socialism. He warned that democratic socialist policies inadvertently benefit large corporations by supporting open borders.

“Corporations care way more about open borders than they do about any other policy.” Vance suggested that restricting immigration strengthens the negotiating power of American workers.

Vance concluded that if current economic policies persist, the middle class will continue weakening. He stressed the need to understand and address the root causes of socialism’s appeal to safeguard the country’s economic future.