Vance spars with college students at Turning Point USA event
Vice President Vance on Wednesday went toe-to-toe with college students at the University of Mississippi in a nod to his friend and the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Vance and Erika Kirk addressed thousands of students at an arena on the university’s campus as part of a Turning Point USA tour. Vance fielded questions from attendees, just as Charlie Kirk did at numerous “Prove Me Wrong” events during Turning Point USA college events.
“Please don’t be nervous if you need to work through a question, think through it, speak it,” Vance said. “We’re all here to have a nice conversation, and we’re all supportive of it.”
In one of the evening’s more contentious exchanges, a student pressed Vance on several issues. They asked Vance how he balances his intercultural marriage, about restrictive immigration policies, and whether they are fair to those who went through the process to enter the country.
“I don’t mean to cause a scene here,” she said at one point.
“We’re not close to causing a scene, don’t worry,” Vance responded.
Vance later drew applause when he told the questioner his job as vice president “is not to look out for the interests of the world; it’s to look out for the people of the United States.”
One student asked Vance whether President Trump had a conflict of interest in setting policy toward Israel because one of his top donors, Miriam Adelson, was a staunch advocate of pro-Israel policies. Vance said he did not see a conflict of interest, noting Adelson is open about her views.
One attendee asked Vance about the issue of requiring Christianity in public schools, while another asked the vice president how he planned to extend an olive branch to Democrats to close the social and political divide in the country. Vance noted he had areas of agreement with Democrats on policy, including on breaking up corporate monopolies.
At one point, those in attendance chanted “48” at Vance, a nod to a potential 2028 run to serve as the 48th president.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, ladies and gentlemen,” Vance said.
The event at the University of Mississippi marked the only stop on the Turning Point USA tour attended by Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow. Other conservatives, such as Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson, have attended other campus stops in recent weeks.
Vance was a close personal friend of Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder, who was shot and killed in September during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Erika Kirk has since taken over as head of Turning Point USA.
Charlie Kirk built a sizable following in part by traveling to college campuses to hold events where he would debate students on various issues. Vance said his intention in attending Wednesday’s event was to keep Kirk’s memory and mission alive.
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