JD Vance needed an analogy for the Trump economy and landed on… the Titanic.
The vice president, 41, got mocked relentlessly on social media after making a head-scratching metaphor in a speech intended to tout the Trump administration’s economic policies.
As he stood in front of a massive banner that promised “lower prices” and “bigger paychecks” in the manufacturing town of Toledo, Ohio, Vance blamed the affordability crisis—once dismissed as a “hoax” by President Donald Trump—on the Biden administration.
“We know there is still so much work to do, and this is something I want you to hear: the Democrats talk a lot about the affordability crisis in the United States of America. And yes, there is an affordability crisis—one created by Joe Biden’s policies,” he said in the setup for his analogy.
“You don’t turn the Titanic around overnight. It takes time to fix what was broken.”
Democrats were quick to lead a scathing roast of the vice president, who appeared unfamiliar with the infamous history of the ship that sank in 1912 after it struck an iceberg, leaving over 1,500 passengers dead. Vance also seems to have missed the climax of the 1997 hit film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
“You don’t turn the Titanic around AT ALL,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker pointed out in a post on X.
“Too late, JD. We’re all just trying to get on the raft with Kate now,” California Governor Gavin Newsom chimed in, referring to one of the film’s most iconic scenes.
“Wait what happened to that ship again,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul quipped.
Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz tried to finish Vance’s statement that “you don’t turn the Titanic around overnight.”
“Or at all as history showed,” the lawmaker said on X.
Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama adviser turned Pod Save America co-host, said, “‘Vance compares the Trump economy to the Titanic’ is a very funny headline.”
“Does... does he know what happened to the Titanic?” liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen wondered out loud.
“He chose a sinking ship for his analogy?” Jack Cocchiarella, a progressive YouTuber, echoed.
Vance’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Trump administration is bent on addressing Americans’ concerns about the fast-rising cost of living ahead of the midterm elections.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told reporters on Wednesday that the 79-year-old president is set to go on a domestic traveling blitz to meet voters. Trump’s tour will kick off in Iowa next Tuesday.
