JD Vance: “You Don’t Turn the Titanic Around Overnight”: LAUGH OF THE DAY
Is JD Vance really thinking: “Here I am, powerless second-in-command on the Titanic, with the captain a senile moron ruled by his hatreds and his impulses”? Probably:
This is funny.
This is also very dangerous. Because Vance does not appear to be aiming for a political constellation in which he honestly wins enough electoral votes, does he? So then what is he aiming for?
We have:
Yes, he said it.
Dave Weigel weighs in:
David Weigel: <twitter.com/daveweige…>: ‘Everyone taking their whacks at the “Titanic” line, but the reason this doesn’t seem to be working is the premise: That every major problem voters are angry about was left behind by Biden. Voters who were told Trump would lower prices ASAP just don’t buy it. I’m a little surprised that “the old man who couldn’t do the job made things worse and we’re fixing them” is a hard sell but here we go…
Brad DeLong here: First, it is real. JD Vance:
JD Vance (January 22, 2026: Speech in Toledo, Ohio <https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/vance-us-economy-titanic/>: ‘And yes, there is an affordability crisis. One created by Joe Biden’s policies. You don’t turn the Titanic around overnight. It takes time to fix what was broken…
So six further points:
The Titanic needed to not hit the iceberg: to not be steered at full speed into hazards that the captian and the crew had been fully warned about. That describes Trump’s tariffs. That describes Trump’s wars. That describes Trump’s restoking of inflation. It describes what Trump has done much better than it describes what Biden left behind.
Vance planned for non-affordability, and he told us in advance that we would face “higher consumer prices in the short term” but that it was worthwhile as it would be part of “protecting American industries”.
Biden left an economy in ship-shape, for in January 2025 inflation was very close to target, certainly not rising, had truly had been transitory until Trump’s friend Vlad the dictator of Muscovy ‘Rus had invaded Ukraine, and was under control. Biden’s soft landing had already been made. Unemployment was near historic lows. The U.S. was leading the G-7 in recovery.
“Overnight” is a dodge. inasmuch as Trump and vance had promised voters that they would see lower prices “starting on day one”.
Very real long-run damage comes from policy chaos in the form of random destructive tariffs, attacks on Fed independence, and an immigration crackdown that shrinks the labor force; all those are choices that they genuinely will take years to undo and neutralize
The Titanic sank in under three hours, so what the passengers owed the steering bridge of the Titanic less patience, not more.