Vice President JD Vance promoted his new book "Communion" at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, arguing that the Republican Party should move away from Milton Friedman’s deregulatory economic model. He said the country needs to "undo 40 years of failed economic policy" and adopt approaches that prioritize family and community life.

Vance argued during his appearance that the GOP’s long-standing adherence to free-market orthodoxy has undermined social cohesion. "The economy is a tool to service the dignity of the human person," he told podcaster Michael Knowles. He added that economic policies should support everyday Americans in "rais[ing] a family, to earn a living wage, to give back to their community, to maybe go to church on Sunday or to actually spend some leisure time building the kind of life that matters."

His remarks drew criticism from prominent conservative economists and organizations aligned with traditional Republican economic doctrine. Larry Kudlow, a former economic adviser to President Donald Trump, said on Fox Business News, "I can’t imagine what JD Vance is getting at." David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, responded on X: "With all due respect, Mr. Vice President, you are dead wrong about both Milton Friedman and Alexander Hamilton." McIntosh added, "Both of them promoted free markets as the way to make America Great."

The Club for Growth, founded in 1999, has a history of opposing Vance. The group spent heavily to support Josh Mandel over Vance in the 2022 Ohio Senate Republican primary. The organization’s super PAC now plans to spend $175 million during the 2026 midterm elections, potentially positioning it as a significant force in intraparty debates over economic policy.

Why It Matters

Vance’s critique of deregulatory economics marks a growing ideological rift within the Republican Party between traditional free-market conservatives and a newer faction emphasizing social and cultural priorities. His platform, articulated during a book tour stop at a site honoring a Republican president who resigned in 1974, signals a deliberate effort to redefine the party’s economic direction ahead of the 2026 elections, during which the Club for Growth intends to play a major financial role.