JD Vance claims Kamala Harris 'opened the border and destroyed the economy' at TPUSA's AmericaFest

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Vice President JD Vance, during the final day of Turning Point USA's AmericaFest convention on Sunday, December 21, blasted his predecessor, former Vice President Kamala Harris, by saying she “opened the border and destroyed the economy.”

In his closing address in Phoenix, Vance credited the Trump administration's "sanity" for a historic reversal in migration trends and falling inflation, claiming the current leadership has successfully "relegated DEI to the dustbin of history."

JD Vance claims net negative migration is reversing economic damage

Addressing a crowd at the Phoenix Convention Center, Vice President JD Vance contrasted the current administration's record with that of its predecessors. He argued that the decisive actions taken since President Donald Trump’s return to office have resulted in tangible relief for American families.

“We ended Joe Biden-Kamala Harris' border crisis," Vance declared. "December marks seven months straight of zero releases at the Southern border, more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States, the first time in over 50 years that we have had negative net migration and it's just the start. When you restore sanity at the border, it shows up everywhere else.”

He further claimed, “Rent prices are dropping four months in a row and more native born Americans are working than ever before," before targeting his predecessor, saying, "Kamala Harris opened the border and destroyed the economy."

"The Trump administration gave you net negative migration and much more job creation," the 41-year-old told the crowd. 

JD Vance asserts national identity is defined by patriotism, not skin color

JD Vance also leaned into the cultural shifts under the new administration, specifically targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

He emphasized a return to meritocracy and a rejection of what he described as the "persecution" of specific groups based on their identity, framing it as a liberation from the "left-wing" social policies of the past several years.

“Real wages are finally growing, inflation is half of what it was under Democrats, gas prices are their lowest in years, and we have finally made it clear that in the United States, we believe in hard work and merit," he said.

The Republican added, "Unlike the left, we stand against treating anybody, and I love what Nicki [Minaj] said about this, we don't treat anybody different because of their race or their sex, so we have relegated DEI to the dustbin of history, which is exactly where it belongs."

"In the United States of America, you don't have to apologize for being White anymore, and if you're an Asian, you don't have to talk around your skin color when you're applying for college because we judge people based on who they are, not on ethnicity and things they can't control," Vance continued. 

"We don't persecute you for being male, for being straight, for being gay, for being anything, the only thing that we demand is that you be a great American Patriot, and if you're that, you're very much on our team,” he insisted. 

JD Vance pledges protection for free speech and targets left-wing violence

In the final section of his speech, JD Vance paid tribute to the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and outlined an approach to law enforcement and free speech. He vowed to dismantle the funding networks of far-left activists, suggesting a significant expansion of prosecutorial reach.

“Just consider the contrast Kamala Harris used the government to censor you, we're using in the Trump administration the government to protect your free speech, whether it's on college campuses or in the digital marketplace of ideas," Vance told the audience.

"Today, our military is welcoming patriots instead of firing them for refusing to accept an unlawful vaccine mandate and to honor Charlie but also to honor all of you. We are working to end the scourge of left-wing violence in the United States of America," he said. 

"We're going after the far-left crime networks but we're also going after the monsters that fund them. We don't just want to go after the antifa member who threw a brick at an ICE agent; we want to know who bought the brick and we're going to prosecute them too,” the vice presdient stressed.