Vance at Rescheduled TPUSA Event After Kirk's Death

Vice President JD Vance spoke at a Turning Point USA “This Is the Turning Point” event at the University of Mississippi that had been rescheduled following the fatal shooting of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk; he paid tribute to Kirk and appeared onstage with Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk. Vance took unscreened questions from students for more than an hour before a reported crowd of about 10,000, addressing religion, immigration, and domestic security measures. He said he “makes no apologies” for believing Christian values are foundational while insisting he would not force belief, argued the U.S. should accept “far less” immigration to preserve community cohesion, and defended deployments such as the National Guard and the Memphis Safe Task Force while warning policymakers should not shirk action out of fear the left might misuse such powers later. The event was held amid tight security and counter-protests and drew praise from some conservatives — Andrew Kolvet called Vance’s appearance a “complete masterclass.” The program reignited national debate over free speech, campus safety, and political violence in the wake of Kirk’s killing.