Vance Lauds Charlie Kirk’s Influence

Vice President JD Vance expressed admiration for Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, on Wednesday, stating he wouldn’t be in his current position without Kirk’s contributions.

During a visit to precision metal stamping facilities in Howell, Michigan, Vance linked President Donald Trump’s tax cuts to working families and businesses. He acknowledged Kirk and Turning Point USA as pivotal to the “creation of movement” that facilitated Trump’s and Vance’s victories in the 2024 election.

“We appreciate these kids and the organization Charlie Kirk started. Over the last decade, Turning Point USA has become a force of movements rather than just an organization. If you look at the young voters who switched from Democrat to Republican between 2020 and 2024, it’s clear that Charlie Kirk sparked that movement. That movement propelled Donald J. Trump to the presidency, which in turn made me the Vice President,” he noted.

Historically, Kamala Harris’s former running mate had support from younger voters, but in the upcoming election, there’s been a significant shift across all age groups toward Trump. For instance, among voters aged 18 to 29, 56% of men and 40% of women backed Trump, marking an increase from 41% and 33% in 2020, respectively.

Vance had flown on Air Force 2 from Utah to Arizona for a guest appearance on “Charlie Kirk Show” earlier in the week. During the show, he dismissed the notion of political violence as a “both sides” problem, encouraging American conservatives to advocate fiercely for their beliefs against those aiming to silence them.