Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s nominee for vice president, recently appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to defend, among other things, the former president’s tariff policies and to counter criticism that these tariffs would impose a heavy burden on American consumers.

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During the interview, moderator Kristen Welker expressed concern that tariffs imposed during Trump’s first term cost Americans nearly $80 billion as companies passed the extra costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices for imported goods. However, Vance strongly rejected that notion, arguing that the tariffs were not on American consumers but on foreign importers who rely on cheap labor to undercut American workers.

“In reality, it’s penalizing importers who bring goods into the country from the country,” Vance said. “I think it’s just a necessary measure. We know that China and a number of other countries are using what is effectively slave labor to undercut the wages of American workers. Donald Trump believes that has to stop.”

However, Vance’s defense of Trump’s tariffs has met with resistance. Many economists and trade experts argue that tariffs actually impose significant costs on American consumers. Studies have shown that the tariffs imposed by Trump actually acted like a tax on American households, driving up the prices of imported goods, including everyday items such as food, appliances and clothing.

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While Vance acknowledged that some economists believe tariffs lead to higher prices for consumers, he argued that this view overlooks the positive effects of these policies. He said that making imports more expensive encourages companies to manufacture their goods domestically, which in turn creates jobs and increases wages.

“Everything you lose from the consumer’s perspective in tariffs you gain in higher wages, so you end up much better off,” Vance explained. “You have more take-home pay and better jobs.”

Vance also pointed to the success of Trump’s tariff strategy during his presidency, noting that inflation remained low despite the imposition of tariffs. According to Vance, these results disprove the notion that tariffs hurt the economy. “Inflation never really rose above two percent during his entire time in office,” Vance said.

He also criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats for not supporting tariffs on companies that exploit cheap labor in countries like China. Vance argued that without such measures, American workers would continue to suffer.

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