Political speech, timestamped and in context

J. D. Vance: “Democrats are trying to defund the police and turn our country over to the criminals.”

Featuring: J. D. Vance, Republican | Vice President of the United States | National

WATCH: JD Vance asked about Trump ties to Epstein

Published October 1, 2026

Now we live in a country where, unfortunately, only elected Republicans are fighting for public safety. Democrats are trying to defund the police and turn our country over to the criminals. They're forcing that. Now they're saying they want to abolish prisons. Exactly. Abolish bail. Okay. What kind of society are we gonna live in if that's not. (15:45–15:51)

STATEMENT

Asserts that Democrats are attempting to defund the police and cede control to criminals.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

See the main statements from J. D. Vance in this video

“Donald Trump didn't just throw him [Jeffrey Epstein] out of his club. He turned Jeffrey Epstein into the local police for being a creep.”
Asserts that Donald Trump reported Jeffrey Epstein to the police.05:36-05:44
“Donald Trump, the first Western leader in 80 years to reverse the FL of illegal migration into a country.”
Asserts that Donald Trump reversed illegal migration trends for the first time in 80 years.08:50-09:06
“I'd say $19 trillion that's coming into the United States and new investment over the next, the next few years.”
Asserts that $19 trillion in new investment is expected in the U.S. in the coming years.10:18-10:24
“The last time we opened a new shipyard in this country, Sean, 80 years ago, until Donald J. Trump became president.”
Asserts that a new shipyard was opened for the first time in 80 years under Donald Trump.12:10-12:16
“There are congressional seats that we haven't won in 20 years that we could win.”
Asserts that there are congressional seats in Florida that Republicans haven't won in 20 years but could win.00:37-00:41
“I think there are 30 races where either Hakeem Jeffries or Mike Johnson are the speaker of the House.”
Asserts that there are 30 races that could determine the Speaker of the House.01:12-01:17
“They want to destroy the foundations of American constitutional Republicanism.”
Asserts that Democrats want to destroy the foundations of American constitutional Republicanism.03:06-03:11
“They want to make it so that we have another three or four states, three or four states that happen to vote 25%, 50% blue so the Republicans can never again control the United States Senate.”
Asserts that Democrats want to add states to ensure Republican loss of Senate control.03:10-03:22
“Democrats who want to destroy the country, who want to permanently disempower you, make it so that even if you vote Republican, your vote doesn't actually count anymore.”
Asserts that Democrats want to make Republican votes ineffective.03:49-03:59
“Our country doesn't exist anymore if you open the border, make it impossible for cops to arrest criminals, steal everybody's wealth, and actually make it so that Republicans can't win a national election.”
Asserts that opening the border and other actions would lead to the non-existence of the country.04:34-04:47
“When they talk about packing the Supreme Court, they're not talking about making better legal decisions.”
Asserts that Democrats' intention to pack the Supreme Court is not for better legal decisions.04:53-04:59
“When they talk about adding Senate seats, they're not talking about making better political decisions.”
Asserts that Democrats' intention to add Senate seats is not for better political decisions.04:58-05:03
“Illegal immigration makes our streets less safe. It steals jobs from American workers. It makes our housing prices go up.”
Asserts that illegal immigration negatively impacts safety, employment, and housing prices.07:55-08:03
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime not just to close the border, but to actually undo it.”
Asserts that Donald Trump was the first president to effectively close the border.08:22-08:29
“We've gone after H1B fraud, where foreign corporations are undercutting the wages of American workers.”
Asserts efforts to combat H1B visa fraud affecting American wages.08:32-08:39
“Wages are outstripping inflation.”
Asserts that wages are currently growing faster than inflation.10:29-10:31
“I think that particular action was north of $7 billion that we saved in fraud.”
Asserts that over $7 billion was saved by addressing fraud.12:59-13:04
“Biden changed the eligibility criteria, stopped enforcing even the looser eligibility rules.”
Asserts that Biden administration altered and relaxed eligibility criteria enforcement.13:07-13:13
“We used to live in a country where both Democrats and Republicans agreed that whether you were rich or poor, you deserve to be able to walk down the street in safety.”
Asserts that there was a bipartisan agreement on public safety in the past.15:30-15:40
“Now we live in a country where, unfortunately, only elected Republicans are fighting for public safety.”
Claims that only Republicans are currently advocating for public safety.15:39-15:45
“Modern Democrats, elected Democrats, they don't answer to the American people. They answer to far left interest groups.”
Claims that Democrats are influenced by far-left interest groups rather than the general public.17:51-18:00