JD Vance says his grandfather had "no desire to build a business" in steel-mill tribute

At a campaign appearance in Middletown, Ohio, Vice President JD Vance invoked his grandfather’s decades at the local steel mill as a symbol of a modest, blue-collar American dream. He announced $1 billion in new manufacturing investment and blamed past immigration and free-trade policies, pushed by corporate leaders, for falling wages, lost jobs, addiction, and crime. Vance also praised Depression-era populist Huey Long, an unusual touch for a Republican vice president that underscored his appeal to workers without college degrees. The speech drew attention for its working-class populism and the Long reference, which some observers read as intentionally provocative.