J.D. Vance Said Some Pretty Serious Things on Charlie Kirk’s Podcast Today

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In Monday’s noontime memorial episode, the fourth since Charlie Kirk’s murder, Vice President J. A. The Charlie Kirk Show was hosted by Vance, who broadcast live from his White House office. Among those who attended were Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Kennedy Jr. Susie Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff; Tucker Carlson, a conservative media figure. He and his guests would pay tribute to Kirk and talk about his significance to the administration and the conservative movement in general, Vance pledged at the start of the show.

And the show did that for the better part of the next two hours. During the campaign, Kirk demonstrated political savvy, and Vance and his influential guests commended his dedication to bringing the MAGA movement together. These representatives (along with Carlson) characterized Kirk as a friend, an idealist, and a compassionate, understanding person.

At the end of the show, however, when Vance delivered his final monologue, the tone drastically changed. Speaking with the weight of the vice presidential position, Vance emphasized in his closing remarks that the nation needs to address the organized, pervasive, left-wing terrorist violence that he described as a serious issue.

“This is not a problem that affects both sides,” he stated. We need to be made aware of the fact that one side has a far more serious and [more] dangerous issue. That issue has dire repercussions. “”.

He claimed that such “no unity” with Americans was possible. He said that liberal journalists and Democratic donors were responsible for Kirk’s death, and he made a menacing promise that in the months ahead, “we will explore every option to bring real unity to our country and stop those who will kill Americans because they don’t like what they say.”. We are still unsure of the precise motivation behind Kirk’s murderer. ).

According to these White House officials and one conservative media personality, it was a significant departure from the focus of the two-hour radio program, which mostly focused on Kirk’s dedication to tolerance and generosity. Having Kirk on your side was reportedly empowering for those involved in the MAGA movement. Stephen Miller, the brains behind Trump’s mass deportations, the Muslim ban, and the child separation policy, said of writing executive orders, “He made you believe more in yourself.”. He would give me the willpower and concentration to finish it. “”.

Recalling taking over the country’s public health system, Kennedy recalled, “I was hesitant when the president first asked [if I wanted to be HHS secretary].”. The Medicaid and Medicare component was something I wasn’t sure I wanted to manage. He did, however, convince me that I should. “By the end of the interview, I’d felt like I’d met a spiritual soul mate,” he continued, referring to his initial encounter with Kirk in a line he also used at a vigil on Sunday night. “.”.

However, Vance had hinted throughout the episode that he was taking the audience to a more sinister place. Vance hinted at his intention to talk about methods for “dismantling” the “extremely destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years” near the end of his opening segment. He concluded the segment by saying that “having faith in the Lord and being bold in how we glorify Him is the greatest lesson any of us can take from Charlie.”. He continued, “We’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence,” in an interview with Miller. “.”.

Worse, both Vance and Miller suggested that the left had fueled a domestic terror movement without offering proof. Miller listed the following as components of the “vast domestic terror movement”: “organized doxxing campaigns,” “organized riots,” “organized street violence,” “organized campaigns of dehumanization and vilification,” and “actual organized cells that carry out this violence.”. Both White House officials contended that the positive aspect of Kirk’s murder was that it had given people more energy. One of the most significant change agents in human history, according to Miller, is focused anger—righteous anger directed toward a just cause.

Anyone would have been let down if they had expected Vance to provide any sort of elaboration on this claim regarding widespread left-wing terrorism. Rather, Vance used generalizations and equated critical speech with violent speech.

His final monologue opened with a description of an article from The Nation, a progressive magazine. Vance claimed that the article, which had criticized Kirk’s political legacy, “lied about a dead man.”. Kirk’s statement that “Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously” was the “lie.”. Since they “do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously,” he actually listed four well-known Black women, including Michelle Obama and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who he claimed had benefited from affirmative action. “Well-funded left-wing organizations fabricated his statements to support his murder,” he claimed. “This is evil and heartless. “.”.

“Like a pyramid that stacks,” according to Vance, a violent political movement has a “foundation of donors and activists, journalists, now social media influencers, and of course politicians.”. He told the audience, “Not all of these people would kill someone.”. However, by accepting responsibility for the murder, celebrating it, and focusing on Charlie’s words—rather than his innocence—many of these individuals are fostering an atmosphere in which incidents like this are bound to occur. “”.

After praising Kirk for his practice of welcoming debate for two hours, the episode had taken a strange turn. Never mind the wall sign that reads, “Warning, does not play well with liberals,” which is highlighted in the show’s opening graphics. Carlson once said that Kirk taught him how to disagree with people “without hating them, without bitterness.”. This specific assertion was about differences within the conservative movement rather than between opposing viewpoints. Kirk was commended by Kennedy for his “complete dedication to free speech.”. According to Vance, “Charlie being kind and compassionate” accounted for “90 percent” of Kirk’s college campus events. “.”.

However, Kirk himself had not objected to using political resentment to accuse left-leaning individuals of being dangerous. For instance, his group had established a whole “watch list” that targeted professors, using the theory that conservative students needed to be protected as justification. Vance followed suit by advising viewers to inform their employers of anyone who was celebrating Kirk’s passing. However, Vance went a step further by putting critical political speech in the same category as actual domestic terrorism and speaking from a position of significant institutional power—one heartbeat away from the presidency. His remarks did not clarify what he meant when he said he would put an end to the violence. However, by claiming that critical speech is inherently dangerous and pledging to “stop” the threat, he appeared to be setting the stage for a political offensive.

“St. In his parting note, Vance stated, “Paul instructs us in the book of Ephesians to put on the full armor of God; let us all put that armor on and commit ourselves to that cause for which Charlie committed his life.”. “To rebuild America, and to do it by speaking the truth.”. “.”.