Vance speaks at Mississippi TPUSA event, takes student questions
Vice President JD Vance spoke to a packed crowd at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi.
Vance spoke on a number of topics including free speech and immigration, and also took questions from students.
The vice president recently spoke to a packed house at a conservative rally at a major Southern university.
Vice President JD Vance joined Erika Kirk, widow of the late Charlie Kirk, at a Turning Point USA rally at the University of Mississippi.
The event drew a crowd of 14,000 students, over half of the university’s student body, and 13,000 more adults were unable to fit in the packed arena, according to TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet.
Vance spoke about and took questions from students on a number of issues, including the importance of open debate, immigration, and pro-life policies.
“Charlie lived and died for the basic principle that we ought to be able to talk about our differences,” he said. “We ought to be able to debate them, and we ought to have faith that the best way to make sure the best ideas win is to actually have a discussion.”
During the question-and-answer period, Vance doubled down on the Trump administration’s stance on limiting immigration, telling the student, “There’s too many people who want to come in. My job as vice president is NOT to look out for the interests of the whole world. It’s to look out for the people of the United States.”
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Erika Kirk also spoke in memory of Charlie Kirk, founder of TPUSA, who was gunned down in September during a visit to Utah Valley University.
“I want to encourage you, especially the students here, to find your voice,” she said. “You are the courageous generation. All of you, Gen Z, you are the courageous generation. Hear me when I say that. My husband believed that to his core. That’s why he went on campuses. That’s why he was trying to reach you.”
Kolvert noted in a separate post that a counter event was organized that ultimately failed to draw a large crowd.
“Just found out there was a counter event tonight at Ole Miss with former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Rep. Ro Khanna,” he wrote. “Their event drew just over 100 people.”
All relevant parties have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
