US Vice President JD Vance at a Turning Point USA conference held in tribute to Charlie Kirk, a far-right activist who was assassinated in September. In Phoenix, Arizona, on December 21, 2025. OLIVIER TOURON/AFP
It came as a strange admission. JD Vance said he had spent sleepless nights after the September murder of his friend Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative movement Turning Point USA (TPUSA). He had spent whole nights sitting in front of a screen, worrying his wife, Usha Vance, as he analyzed every video of the incident and stayed up "researching every conspiracy theory." In short, he had behaved like a typical pro-Trump activist, seeming not to trust the FBI to establish the facts.
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Charlie Kirk's assassination shocks the US and triggers a surge of political hatred
This anecdote, which aimed to create a sense of camaraderie between him and his audience, was shared by the US vice president in a speech asserting his identitarian stance, which closed out AmericaFest, the annual TPUSA rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, December 21.
