Vance Links Socialism to Foreign Workers and Girls’ Sports

Vice President JD Vance said socialism is difficult to define before describing it as support for replacing American workers with foreign workers and allowing boys to play in girls’ sports, linking the ideology to immigration and gender politics during a White House press conference on October 8. Asked how he defined socialism, Vance said it had traditionally been associated with prioritizing workers. He then referred to an administration announcement prioritizing American workers over foreign workers and said many self-described socialist candidates would oppose it. He concluded that, in the American context, socialism meant wanting to replace American workers with foreign workers and wanting boys to play in girls’ sports. Vance also cited comments by Bernie Sanders in 2016 about open borders and the potential displacement of American workers. The press conference took place as the administration announced actions involving companies’ access to immigration programs.