During a recent Fox & Friends interview, Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. In doing so, he also made a controversial comment that offended lots of people. In a viral clip from the interview, Vance spoke about “Chinese peasants.” Many people felt that the terminology he used was “racist,” “unnecessary,” and “ignorant.”
“I think it’s useful for all of us to step back and ask ourselves, what has the globalist economy gotten the United States of America?” Vance said during the interview. “Fundamentally, it’s based on two principles. Incurring a huge amount of debt to buy things that other countries make for us.”
Then, he went on to say: “To make it a little more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”
Many people who saw the clip took issue with the word “peasants.” “This language is unnecessarily provocative and offensive coming from such a high ranking politician,” one person responded on X. “The Chinese people work hard to support themselves and their families, just like most people around the world.”
Another person wanted to know exactly what Vance meant when describing people that way. “Can you please describe what sort of people america’s ‘peasants’ are?” they questioned. “What sort of workers are they? or do ‘peasants’ only exist in other countries? Which countries, to be exact???????”
A third person wrote: “Why does he call them peasants? Answer: to dehumanize them. They are also smart, extremely hardworking people.”
"We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture" pic.twitter.com/OG3sj5m0CE
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) April 3, 2025
To some people, Vance’s comments were “embarrassing.” “The disrespect is disgusting,” a fourth person said. “I’m so ashamed every day.”
Some critics also pointed to Vance’s Appalachian roots. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance wrote about the struggles his family faced. The book is described as “an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.”
One person who shared the clip on X captioned their post: “He says ‘Chinese peasants’ with such venom and condescension. You would think the poverty in which he grew up would give him some empathy, but instead it did the opposite.”
Another X user referenced Vance’s book, writing: “idk why he thinks he is like royal and somehow superior. isn’t he famous for being like THE hillbilly???”
Some people who saw the clip also urged Vance (and other Americans) to learn more about China. “Is he aware that China is thousands of years ahead of the USA in development?” one person questioned.
