At the American Dynamism Summit, Vice President JD Vance shared a 2017 dinner exchange with a multibillionaire tech CEO who dismissed concerns about AI-driven job loss, suggesting “fully immersive digital gaming” could give displaced workers purpose.
Vance said his wife texted him during the dinner, saying, “We have to get the hell out of here, these people are f-ing crazy.”
Vance used the anecdote to highlight disconnects between tech elites and working Americans. He also voiced strong support for President Trump’s trade policies, arguing tariffs and innovation can bring back manufacturing jobs.
He cited recent gains in the auto sector and emphasized that globalization’s reliance on cheap labor hurts both innovation and American workers. Vance called for a renewed focus on domestic industry, technology, and worker value to fuel an “American industrial comeback.”
