March 18, 2025 | Washington, D.C.
In a compelling and heartfelt speech delivered on March 18, 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the nation, emphasizing unity, resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose for Americans across the political spectrum. Speaking passionately from the nation's capital, Vice President Vance laid out a vision centered around rebuilding communities, strengthening families, and restoring trust in American institutions.
Embracing AI While Strengthening American Workers
"We shouldn't be afraid of artificial intelligence," Vance declared, addressing concerns about AI's impact on employment. "Particularly for those of us lucky enough to be Americans, we shouldn't be fearful of productive new technologies. In fact, we should seek to dominate them."
The Vice President dismantled the common fear that technology inevitably displaces workers, citing historical examples where innovation enhanced rather than eliminated jobs. "In the 1970s, many feared that the automated teller machine would replace bank tellers," he explained. "In reality, the advent of the ATM made bank tellers more productive, and you have more people today working in customer service in the financial sector than you had when the ATM was created."
Drawing on Catholic social teaching, Vance referenced Pope John Paul II's encyclical Laborem Exercens: "Through work, man must earn his daily bread and contribute to the continual advance of science and technology... to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society within which he lives."
The Manufacturing Challenge: America vs. China
Vance highlighted America's manufacturing decline through the stark example of shipbuilding. "If you go back to World War II, America constructed thousands of so-called liberty ships... building them at a pace of three ships every two days," he noted. "Now, we build about five commercial ships across an entire year in the United States of America."
The contrast with China was particularly alarming: "China now makes more commercial ships than the rest of the world combined. One of Beijing's state-owned firms built more commercial ships just last year than all of America has produced since the end of World War II."
This manufacturing exodus, Vance argued, threatens both national security and American workers' sense of purpose: "When our factories disappear and the jobs in those factories go overseas, American workers are faced not only with financial insecurity, they're also faced with a profound loss of personal and communal identity."
A Call for Technological Leadership
The Vice President emphasized that America's technological advancement is not merely an economic imperative but a geopolitical necessity. "Does this sound like a regime," he asked, referring to China, "will pass up on the opportunity to use AI or any other technology to advance their own interests and further undermine the interests of their rivals?"
"We have to be leaning into the AI future with optimism and hope because real technological innovation is going to make our country stronger," Vance asserted, positioning technological leadership as essential to America's future prosperity and security.
Rather than seeing a conflict between populist concerns and technological progress, Vance presented them as complementary forces that, when properly aligned, strengthen American workers and the nation's global position. "Real innovation makes us more productive, but it also dignifies our workers. It boosts our standard of living. It strengthens our workforce and the relative value of its labor."
A Call for National Unity
In closing his speech with an optimistic tone, Vice President Vance called upon Americans to come together despite differences.
"We have faced challenges before," he reminded listeners. "And each time we've emerged stronger because we stood united."
Vance urged citizens to look beyond partisan divides and focus instead on shared values such as freedom, opportunity, and compassion.
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