JD Vance asks voters to reject Biden-era policies and 'double down' on Trump leadership in midterms

Vice President JD Vance touted wage gains, lower crime and border security, urging voters to back continued Republican leadership
PUBLISHED FEB 18, 2026
Vice President JD Vance said the 2026 midterms will test America’s direction, contrasting Joe Biden’s policies with Donald Trump’s agenda (Screenshot/Fox News)
Vice President JD Vance said the 2026 midterms will test America’s direction, contrasting Joe Biden’s policies with Donald Trump’s agenda (Screenshot/Fox News)


WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance warned that the 2026 midterms will be a test of America’s direction.

Speaking to Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, he said voters must choose between Biden’s policies, which he claims hurt wealth and safety, and Trump’s plans to restore the economy and protect the country.

JD Vance urges voters to back GOP in 2026 midterms

Looking ahead to this year’s midterm elections, Democrats are growing confident they can win control of the House. But JD Vance said Republicans need to remind voters that they are “still digging out of the hole the Democrats put us in.”

“I think that the question we’re going to put to the American people is,” he said. “Do you want to give the government back over to the people who, frankly, burned down the house and made most Americans much less wealthy and much less safe? Or, Do you want to double down on the president’s leadership, which has helped us recover from some of the problems caused by Joe Biden?"

(Screenshot: Fox News)
JD Vance said Republicans need to remind voters that they are 'still digging out of the hole the Democrats put us in' (Screenshot: Fox News)

Vance highlighted the achievements of the past year. “And then it is built a lot on top of it because so much of what we've done over the last year are things they're going to pay long-term dividends for the American people. People 18 trillion dollars, a new investment that's factories being built,” he said.

He also pointed to rising wages, a 20% drop in the murder rate, stronger border security, and the removal of dangerous criminals from the country. “There’s a lot to run on,” he said.

Looking ahead, Vance emphasized the work still to be done. “I think it's up to us. It's up to me. It's up to the president. It's up to the entire team to make the argument to the American people that we've made your life better,” he said. “And if you give us another couple years of Republican governance. We can keep on building upon the record.”

JD Vance slams Fox News poll, touts Trump economy

JD Vance criticized Fox News’s polling during a sit-down interview with anchor Martha MacCallum. After a commercial break, MacCallum turned to the midterms and said, “Alright, we are back with Vice President JD Vance. So we just mentioned the midterms. I want to just put up a poll. This shows congressional vote preference.”



She continued, “This was at the end of January, so just a few weeks ago, of all voters: Democratic candidate preference at 52, GOP candidate at 46. We’ve got a long way to go, but obviously that number would not be good for the majority.”

Vance responded, “That would not be good. I will say, as much as we love Fox News, we always think Fox News has the worst polling.” He added with a grin, “Me and the president agree on that. I’m sorry. It’s true.” MacCallum replied, “I can show you other ones that are very similar, but since they’re ours, I show ours."

(Screenshot: Fox News)
JD Vance criticized Fox News’s polling during a sit-down interview with anchor Martha MacCallum (Screenshot/Fox News)

Vance then laid out his pitch for the midterms. “But here, here’s the fundamental issue in the midterms, and I think we’re gonna make this argument to the American people, and the American people are obviously gonna be the ones who make this decision, is, look, if you go back to the Biden administration, the average

American lost about $3,000 in take-home pay during the four years that Democrats were in charge,” he said.

He concluded, “In the first year of the Trump administration, average Americans have gained about $1,200. Now, there’s kind of a good news, bad news dynamic there. If you’re looking at it from the perspective of the last year, Americans have done better."

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