Vice President JD Vance delivered an impassioned speech in eastern North Carolina on Wednesday, going after globalist leaders who he said have forgotten that being an American means something, connecting his time serving as a young Marine in the state to failed politicians in Washington.

Vance recounted that after 9/11, there was pride and unity and every house flew an American flag not because they were asked, but “because we loved our country and we wanted everybody to know it.” He said kids from towns like Middletown, Ohio, volunteered to serve in droves because they were raised to love the United States of America.

“When I think about the kindness that the people of North Carolina showed to me, none of them had to do that. They did it because I was a Marine, because they were proud of me, and because that was reason enough to treat me like family,” Vance said. “They understood something that Washington, DC spent 40 years forgetting: that being an American means something, and North Carolina deserves leaders who will never let Washington forget it!”

Vance honed in on establishment figures in both parties who supported open borders and outsourcing millions of American jobs overseas. He said leaders supported nation-building and outsourcing while ignoring how their policies affected those who elected them into office.

“Now to those people, the only thing that distinguished you and me from all the people who wanted to come here… they thought those in Vietnam or China could do the exact same thing. Besides, they’d grow out of poverty and become democracies as a result. So it was actually a good thing that we were shipping American jobs to places that didn’t care about the American nation,” Vance said.

He continued outlining the failures of “effective altruism” and the proliferation of NGOs, saying this came at the expense of stopping crime, cleaning up our streets, and taking care of Americans in need. Vance said the result was sending our money to build anywhere but right here at home, while expressing concern would get you called names.

“If you didn’t like this new arrangement, you got called some names. You got called an isolationist or a protectionist, or accused of ‘economic anxiety,’ as if we had a mental disorder… We asked nothing of somebody who wanted to become an American. The generosity of our people, ladies and gentlemen, it was our finest quality. It was the best thing that we had. And eventually, our very leaders used it as something to be abused and weaponized against our own people,” he said, adding, “Being an American means something, ladies and gentlemen. It means that American homes and American farmland ought to go to American citizens.”

The next line resulted in raucous applause from the crowd in Kinston: “They saw potential citizens, but they forgot that they were meant to fight for the citizens who were already in the United States of America!”

As Vance does exceptionally well, he diagnosed the problem and presented a forward-looking message.

He said what we want out of our country is not that difficult.

“I want for your family what I want for my own children: I want them to go to schools that educate them instead of indoctrinate them. I want them to be able to walk down the street in safety. I don’t want you to have to be a rich person to afford a home. We’re going to make sure your tax dollars go to the things they should, not to fraudsters,” he said. “I want your police officers to know that we’re going to empower them to put bad guys behind bars. I want to send a message to the business community that if you’re willing to work with us and invest in American workers, American jobs ought to go to American workers.”

Continuing, Vance said, “These are not complicated things,” and recounted how as the grandson of a union steelworker raised by his grandparents because his parents had faced struggles, he is standing today with a beautiful wife and children as the Vice President of the United States — because the American Dream is still alive.

“I don’t just want the American Dream for myself. I want young people to be able to afford a home. I want my kids to raise a family in a country that is vibrant and thriving and free. Let’s keep on delivering for the American people,” he exclaimed.

Vance’s closing message on the midterm campaign trail is an effective one that highlights how the Republican Party can win the way it did in 2024: by focusing on the message that attracts voters who had little faith in a system that failed them; by unabashedly supporting the hardworking middle-class Americans that too often have been overlooked by elites; and by delivering meaningful results for them.

Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.