Vice President JD Vance said there is “no unity” with people who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and who attacked Kirk’s family, speaking on his friend’s program as the investigation into the killing continues.
Vance, who filled in Monday on "The Charlie Kirk Show" after Kirk was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University last week, said he had received condolences from Democratic friends and former Senate colleagues but was alarmed by how many people online were seen justifying or celebrating the murder.
“There is no unity with people who scream at children over their parents’ politics,” Vance said in the broadcast. “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, who described Kirk as a “dear friend,” also urged viewers to call out and inform employers of people who publicly celebrated the killing as a way to foster a more civil society. He said unity in the country could be achieved only by those willing to acknowledge that political violence is unacceptable and by dismantling institutions that, in his view, promote violence and terrorism.
“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,” Vance said.
Authorities have identified a suspect in the shooting, and media reports say the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, is expected to be charged with capital murder. The killing set off a national outcry and prompted employers and institutions to investigate and, in some cases, discipline or fire individuals who were seen celebrating or defending the killing on social media, according to multiple reports.
Kirk was a close confidant of Vance and played a prominent role in conservative media as a co-founder of Turning Point USA. Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket aboard Air Force Two to return him to his home state of Arizona on Thursday, officials said.
The episode intensified debate over political rhetoric and the responsibilities of public figures and media institutions. Reports in the aftermath detailed several instances in which commentators, teachers and other professionals faced repercussions for comments that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s death or to blame his rhetoric for the attack.
Vance said he was “desperate” for national unity in condemning both the act of violence and the ideas that he said contributed to an atmosphere in which such violence could be excused. His remarks come as investigations and criminal proceedings move forward and as employers and institutions continue to respond to social media posts tied to the case.
Officials have urged patience as prosecutors determine charges and as federal and local authorities continue their inquiries into the shooting and its aftermath.