Vice President JD Vance has appealed to American voters ahead of November's midterm elections, asking them to give Republicans 'another chance' before turning his criticism towards Democrats.
Speaking virtually to the All-In Podcast summit in Los Angeles on Tuesday, 15 September, Vance argued that the Trump administration had delivered major changes but needed more time to continue its agenda.
Vance then addressed Democrats in more confrontational terms, telling voters to 'send these people packing' and saying they should put Democrats he regarded as extreme 'in the mental hospital' rather than Congress.
Vance Makes His Midterm Pitch
Asked by All-In co-host Chamath Palihapitiya what message Republicans needed to deliver before November, Vance said he had 'two basic messages'.
First, he pointed to what he described as administration achievements, including tax cuts affecting overtime, Social Security and tips, border enforcement and H-1B reforms.
'There's a lot of good that's been done, but there's a lot of work left to do,' Vance said.
He then made his direct appeal to voters.
'Give us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years,' Vance said.
The remark quickly became a focus of Democratic criticism, with clips of the exchange circulating beyond the podcast. Mediaite reported that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz both responded to the line.
The 'Mental Hospital' Attack
Vance's second argument was more confrontational.
He said voters should reject Democrats even if they disagreed with Republicans on individual policies, describing the opposing party as 'consumed by craziness'.
Vance then referred to someone running for Congress in New York who, according to Vance, had said 4 July was about the liberation of Puerto Rico and Palestine.
'I thought to myself, this person needs to be checked into a mental hospital, not given a seat in Congress,' Vance said.
He then addressed voters directly.
'Send these people packing, put them in the mental hospital. Do not put them in Congress,' Vance said.
The transcript does not identify the congressional candidate by name, so the person should not be identified without independent confirmation.
Jeffries Fires Back
Democrats quickly responded to Vance's 'another chance' appeal.
Jeffries framed the remark as an admission of Republican failure, writing: 'Vance to America: Republicans have failed but give us another chance.'
His response was blunt: 'Get Lost.'
Schatz also shared the clip and urged Democratic campaign communicators to make sure voters saw Vance's appeal, later calling it an extraordinary midterm message.
Vance to America: Republicans have failed but give us another chance.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) September 16, 2026
Jeffries to Vance: Get Lost.
It’s over for MAGA extremism in November. https://t.co/3BpacZqfBs
Shapiro Challenges Vance
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro offered another Democratic response during a CNN interview with Kaitlan Collins on 16 September.
'We've got two years' worth of proof points,' Shapiro said, arguing that Republicans had failed to deliver on promises involving costs, wars and corruption.
Those were Shapiro's political criticisms of the Trump administration and are presented here as such.
The competing messages give voters two sharply different ways to view the same two years: Vance is asking for more time, while Democrats are arguing that the administration's existing record should be considered in November.
Shapiro responds to Vance: "The idea that JD Vance is saying, 'No, no, no, just trust us. Give us another two years.' The problems that we're dealing with in this country have been caused by Donald Trump and JD Vance. And what we need is a check on them..." pic.twitter.com/zEPC3UyXy6
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) September 17, 2026
Why the All-in Appearance Matters
Vance's choice of platform added another layer to the intervention.
The All-In Podcast is hosted by Palihapitiya, David Sacks, David Friedberg and Jason Calacanis, prominent figures from the technology and investment world. People identified Sacks as Trump's former AI and crypto czar and Friedberg as a Trump science adviser.
Vance also has a Silicon Valley connection of his own, having worked as a venture capitalist before entering politics.
His appearance therefore placed a major Republican midterm message in front of an audience closely connected to technology, finance and venture capital, while Vance continues to campaign for Republican candidates around the country.
A Message With Two Explosive Lines
Vance's pitch ultimately contained two lines that quickly became part of the political debate around his appearance.
'Give us another chance' became the rallying cry Democrats seized upon.
'Put them in the mental hospital. Do not put them in Congress' supplied an even more confrontational message.
With control of the House and Senate at stake in November, Vance's appearance has given both parties fresh material for the 2026 midterm fight.
