loading . . . J.D. Vance: There Is No Unity With Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk's Assassination, Or Groups Who Fund Them Vice President J.D. Vance discussed how desperately wants to come together as a country and reject political violence, filling in as host on the "Charlie Kirk Show" on Monday.
"I have heard many calls in the last few days for unity and for healing in the wake of Charlie's assassination. You have no idea how desperately I want that," Vance said.
"But first we must tell the truth," he said. "It's the only way to honor Charlie -- what was he if not a man who told the truth?"
"The truth is that 26% of young liberals believe political violence is sometimes justified, and only 7% of young conservatives say the same. Again, too high a number," Vance said. In a country of 330 million people, you can of course find one person of a given political persuasion justifying this or that or almost anything. But the data is clear: people on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence."
"This is not a 'both sides' problem. If both sides have a problem, one side has a much bigger and malignant problem. And that is the truth we must be told."
"While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left," said the vice president.
"There is no unity with people who scream at children over their parents' politics. There is no unity with someone who lies about what Charlie Kirk said in order to excuse his murder. There is no unity with someone who harasses an innocent family the day after the father of that family lost a dear friend. There is no unity with the people who celebrate Charlie Kirk's assassination," Vance said. "And there is no unity with the people who fund these articles, who pay the salaries of these terrorist sympathizers who argue that Charlie Kirk--a loving husband and father--deserved a shot to the neck because he spoke words with which they disagree."
"Did you know that the George Soros Open Society Foundation and the Ford Foundation--the groups who funded that disgusting article justifying Charlie's death--do you know they benefit from generous tax treatment?"
"They are literally subsidized by you and me, the American taxpayer. And how do they reward us? By setting fire to the house built by the American family over 250 years," Vance said. "I'm desperate for our country to be united in condemnation of the actions and the ideas that killed my friend. I want it so badly that I will tell you a difficult truth: we can only have it with people who acknowledge that political violence is unacceptable, and when we work to dismantle the institutions that promote violence and terrorism in our own country."
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Shortly after Usha and I left Charlie's family and Charlie's remains in Arizona, I wrote a story in The Nation magazine about my dear friend Charlie Kirk.
Now, The Nation isn't a fringe blog. It's a well-funded, well-respected magazine whose publishing history goes back to the American Civil War. George Soros' Open Society Foundation funds this magazine, as does the Ford Foundation and many other wealthy titans of the American progressive movement.
The writer accuses Charlie of saying, and I quote, "Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously." But if you go and watch the clip--the very clip she links to--you realize he never said anything like that. He never uttered those words.
He made an argument against affirmative action as a policy. He criticized a specific Supreme Court justice as an individual. He never said anything about Black women as a group. He made an argument for judging people of all races and backgrounds by their own individual merits.
The very evidence she provides--this hack of a writer--shows that she lied about a dead man. And yet, she wrote it. An esteemed magazine published it. It made it through the editors. And of course, liberal billionaires rewarded that attack.
Now, of course, even if Charlie had uttered those words, it wouldn't mean that he deserved his fate. But consider the level of propaganda at work. Charlie was gunned down in broad daylight, and well-funded institutions of the left lied about what he said so as to justify his murder. This is soulless and evil.
But I was struck not just by the dishonesty of the smear, but by the glee over a young husband's and young father's death. Quote, she says, "He was an unrepentant racist, transphobe, homophobe, and misogynist. He often wrapped his bigotry in Bible verses because there was no other way to pretend that it was morally correct. He had children, as do many vile people." That's what they said: he had children, as do many vile people.
Hours before this smear was published, my wife and I had the honor of escorting Charlie's body back to his home in Arizona. We took his wife--Erica, we love you--his parents, his sister, and a few of his best friends with us. And as they all floated Charlie's casket from Air Force Two, I worried that Erica would collapse with grief.
Now, I'm a very lucky husband to a very wonderful wife, but I have never been prouder of my wife than at that moment, as she held Erica in Erica's very darkest hour.
And I thought of Erica as I read that disgusting attack on Charlie: "He had children, as do many vile people." That's what they said about him.
I said the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
And I asked Usha what Erica had said to her earlier in the day in a private moment. I asked Erica's permission to share this. My wife told me: Erica asked her for advice--advice on how she should tell her children that their father had been murdered. She asked my wife how to tell her beautiful kids that their father, and my dear friend, was no longer with us.
And as she was doing that, there were people dancing on that father's grave.
Now, I have heard many calls in the last few days for unity and for healing in the wake of Charlie's assassination. You have no idea how desperately I want that--how gratified I was when Democratic friends and even former Senate colleagues reached out to offer their condolences to me. I'm so thankful, and I know there are so many like them all across our great country.
I am desperate to wrap my arms around them as we all unite to condemn political violence and the ideas that cause it.
Psalm 133 tells us: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head. Oh, how badly have I craved that precious ointment in recent days. And I believe we can have it.
But first--we must tell the truth. It's the only way to honor Charlie. For what was he, if not a man who told the truth in every place, in every environment?
Now the most important truth Charlie told is this: that long ago, a man, begotten not made, came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit, He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered death, was buried, and rose again on the third day.
Charlie believed, as I do, that all the truth he told flowed from that fundamental principle.
I really do believe that we can come together in this country. I believe we must. But unity--real unity--can be found only after climbing the mountain of truth. And there are difficult truths we must confront in our country.
One truth is that 24% of self-described "very liberals" believe it is acceptable to be happy about the death of a political opponent, while only 3% of self-described "very conservatives" agree. Three percent is too many, of course.
Another truth is that 26% of young liberals believe political violence is sometimes justified, and only 7% of young conservatives say the same. Again, too high a number.
In a country of 330 million people, you can of course find one person of a given political persuasion justifying this or that or almost anything. But the data is clear: people on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence.
This is not a 'both sides' problem. If both sides have a problem, one side has a much bigger and malignant problem. And that is the truth we must be told.
That problem has terrible consequences. The leader of our party, Donald J. Trump, escaped an assassin's bullet by less than one inch. Our House Majority Leader, Steve Scalise, came within seconds of death by an assassin himself. And now the most influential conservative activist in generations--our friend Charlie--has been murdered.
This violence doesn't come from nowhere. Any political movement, violent or not, is a collection of forces. It's like a pyramid that stacks one support on top of another. That pyramid's got a foundation of donors, of activists, of journalists, now of social media influencers, and of course of politicians.
Not every member of that pyramid would commit a murder. In fact, over 99% would not. But by celebrating that murder, apologizing for it, and emphasizing not Charlie's innocence but the fact that he said things some didn't like--even to the point of lying about what he actually said--many of these people are creating an environment where things like this are inevitably going to happen.
A couple of months ago, I attended a fundraiser in Southern California. Since we'd be out there anyway, my wife and I decided to take our kids to Disneyland one weekend. We had fun, and to be clear, most of the guests said very nice things or they just left us alone.
But there was a loud and very cruel minority that would shout at my children--who were 8, 5, and 3--whenever they got the opportunity. "You should disown your dad, you little shit!" one middle-aged woman yelled at my five-year-old. "Tell the Secret Service to protect the Constitution, not your father!" screamed another.
Are these women violent? Probably not. Are they deranged? Certainly. And while our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.
After Charlie died, one of his friends--and one of our senior White House staffers--had left-leaning operatives in his neighborhood passing out leaflets telling people what he looked like and where he lived, encouraging neighbors to harass him or, God forbid, to do worse.
While he was mourning his dead friend, he and his wife had to worry about political terrorists drawing a big target on the home he shares with his young children.
Are these people violent? I hope not. But are they guilty of encouraging violence? You damn well better believe it.
We can thank God that most Democrats don't share these attitudes--and I do--while acknowledging that something has gone very wrong with a lunatic fringe. A minority, but a growing and powerful minority on the far left.
There is no unity with people who scream at children over their parents' politics. There is no unity with someone who lies about what Charlie Kirk said in order to excuse his murder. There is no unity with someone who harasses an innocent family the day after the father of that family lost a dear friend. There is no unity with the people who celebrate Charlie Kirk's assassination. And there is no unity with the people who fund these articles, who pay the salaries of these terrorist sympathizers who argue that Charlie Kirk--a loving husband and father--deserved a shot to the neck because he spoke words with which they disagree.
Did you know that the George Soros Open Society Foundation and the Ford Foundation--the groups who funded that disgusting article justifying Charlie's death--do you know they benefit from generous tax treatment? They are literally subsidized by you and me, the American taxpayer. And how do they reward us? By setting fire to the house built by the American family over 250 years.
I'm desperate for our country to be united in condemnation of the actions and the ideas that killed my friend. I want it so badly that I will tell you a difficult truth: we can only have it with people who acknowledge that political violence is unacceptable, and when we work to dismantle the institutions that promote violence and terrorism in our own country.
Now, our government--you heard me talk to Stephen Miller about this--will be working very hard to do exactly that in the months to come. We're not always going to get it right. We will sometimes move more slowly than you would like. We will sometimes move more slowly than I want us to. But I promise you that we will explore every option to bring real unity to our country and stop those who would kill their fellow Americans because they don't like what they say.
But you have a role too. Civil society--Charlie understood this well--is not just something that flows from the government. It flows from each and every one of us.
It flows from all of us.
So when you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them out. Hell, call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility. And there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.
Get involved. Get involved. Get involved. It's the best way to honor Charlie's legacy. Start a chapter of TPUSA or get involved in one that already exists. If you're older, volunteer for your local party, write an op-ed in your local paper, run for office.
I can't promise you this is going to be easy. I can't promise you that all of us will avoid Charlie's fate. I can't promise you that I will avoid Charlie's fate. But the way to honor him is to shine the light of truth like a torch in the very darkest places.
Go do it. We owe it to our friend to ensure that his killer is not just prosecuted but punished. And the worst punishment is not the death penalty, but the knowledge that Charlie's mission continues after he's gone.
Saint Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians to put on the full armor of God. Let all of us put on that armor and commit ourselves to that cause for which Charlie gave his life: to rebuild a United States of America, and to do it by telling the truth. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/09/15/jd_vance_there_is_no_unity_with_someone_who_celebrates_charlie_kirks_assassination.html
