A question from a New York Times reporter during the heart of the event particularly led to the crowd’s cheers as JD torched the reporter. That reporter asked about inflation, namely data showing that inflation is now under 3%, which is the lowest it has been since 2021, when the inflation crisis began.

Specifically, the NYT reporter asked how Vance reacts to the news about lower inflation:  “I wanted to ask you about the latest economic news from this morning with inflation now being under 3%, the lowest rate since mid-2021. What is your reaction to that news?”

Sen. Vance, responding as the audience booed the reporter quite energetically, told the reporter, “Well, I think the crowd reaction says it all.” Continuing, he went on to note that it matters less that inflation is down against the quite heightened previous number as that things are now still far more expensive than they used to be under Trump.

He told the NYT reporter, focusing on that price angle of the inflation situation, “Look, when they say that inflation is down, they mean from a baseline where groceries are already 30% more expensive than they were when Donald Trump was president.”

He then noted how the terminology used is quite important, saying, “And they’re not saying it’s coming down, they’re just saying it’s not going up as fast as it was three years ago. That is not a reputation or a record to brag on, that’s a record to be ashamed of.”

Sen. Vance was far from done. Continuing, he sounded off on VP Harris, saying that she failed at her job and that is why prices are so high. She said, “Why did it take them so long to get inflation to where it is, and why are prices so high? It’s because Kamala Harris failed to do her job.”

Continuing, he kept roasting Kamala for doing so little and promised that the Trump-Vance Administration would do quite the opposite. He said, “So if they want to go around and this is, you know, it’s funny… Kamala Harris on the one hand will say on day one we’re going to tackle the affordability crisis.”

He then reminded the crowd of why he feels right blaming Kamala, saying, “And like I said earlier Kamala Harris has been the vice president for three and a half years, and I think, ladies and gentlemen, she’s in effect been the acting president because we all know Joe Biden isn’t home. So she’s been the one controlling government policy for three and a half years.”

Keeping up the pressure on Kamala by asking a powerful rhetorical question, he said, “She says she wants to tackle the affordability crisis on day one and then on the other hand she’ll say well we’ve already got inflation under control. Well, which is it, Kamala? Which is it?”

Concluding, he said, to the crowd’s cheers, that the economic situation in America is far from cheery: “The simple truth is America’s credit card debt is getting higher. Americans are finding the basic necessities in middle class life less affordable. Americans are becoming, especially young people, are becoming paupers in their own country. If we don’t do better, our young generation, they’re not going to own anything, they’re not going to have anything, they’re going to be renters in the country that their parents and grandparents built. Inflation is a disaster.”