Vice President J.D. Vance on Monday accused philanthropic organizations funded by liberal donors, including George Soros, of "fueling hate" after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and said the administration would act to dismantle networks it deems to be promoting violence.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a frequent campus debater and media figure, was shot and killed last Wednesday. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on Friday; authorities have said Robinson is awaiting charges. Vance said an article in The Nation that he described as "disgusting" and "justifying Charlie's death" was funded by the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation, a claim the foundations have disputed in part while condemning the killing.
Speaking from an office in the White House complex while guest-hosting Kirk's radio program, Vance said the federal government would work in coming months to "dismantle the institutions that promote violence and terrorism in our own country," while adding that the administration would not target constitutionally protected speech. "This is not a 'both sides' problem," he said, asserting that "most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left."
Vance accused The Nation of publishing an article that labeled Kirk an "unrepentant racist, transphobe, homophobe, and misogynist," and he said the article's author and the organizations that fund such work were excusing violence against conservatives. He called for patience as the administration identifies and disrupts what he described as nonprofit networks that "foment, facilitate and engage in violence."
A spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations told the Daily Mail that the organization had "unequivocally condemned the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk." The spokesperson also said it was "disgraceful to use this tragedy for political ends to dangerously divide Americans and attack the First Amendment." The Ford Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vance invited White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller onto the program to discuss tactical and legal steps the administration might pursue. Miller said he was experiencing both "incredible sadness" and "incredible anger" over Kirk's death and framed anger as a potential motivator for action. "The thing about anger is that unfocused anger or blind rage is not a productive emotion, but focused anger, righteous anger, directed for a just cause, is one of the most important agents of change in human history," Miller said.
Turning Point USA has become a prominent conservative organization on college campuses and in conservative media, and Kirk was a high-profile and polarizing figure. His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from conservative allies and condemnation from across the political spectrum, alongside calls for a careful law-enforcement investigation into the killing.
Federal officials have not outlined specific legal steps to be taken against nonprofit groups in response to Vance's comments, and civil liberties advocates have cautioned that legitimate advocacy and criticism are protected by the First Amendment. Legal experts say any government action would have to navigate constitutional protections for speech and association while distinguishing unlawful conduct.
Authorities continue to investigate the shooting and the circumstances surrounding it. The Justice Department and local law-enforcement agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Vance's remarks or on any potential federal probes into nonprofit funding networks.