Washington, D.C. — Vice President J.D. Vance stepped in to host a special episode of the Charlie Kirk Show to honor Mr. Kirk who was a personal friend of the Vice President. The Vice President gave a speech on the show that has drawn a significant amount of attention and been the cause for much discussion. In the speech he criticized left‐wing extremism, accused media and philanthropic organizations of enabling charged rhetoric, and argued that true unity requires dealing with elements on the far-left which condone or celebrate violence. He emphasized in his comments that he knew good people among the Democrats, appreciated the condolences from former Democratic senate colleagues, and that “99 percent” of those on the political left would not commit murder.
He cited polling data indicating that “very liberal” respondents are many times more likely than “very conservative” ones to say it is acceptable to rejoice at a political figure’s death and that a much larger share of liberals believe political violence can sometimes be justified. Vance’s claims apparently rest on recent YouGov polling (and other related surveys) about Americans’ attitudes toward political violence. The YouGov poll (graphic shown below) does show the difference in views of acceptability of political violence as stated by Mr. Vance.
Additional findings from the poll include that nearly nine in ten adults (87%) believe political violence is a problem, with close to 60% calling it a very big problem. Concern is especially high among older adults and Republicans, though strong majorities across the political spectrum recognize it as a threat. When it comes to public perception of which is a bigger threat, left‐wing vs. right‐wing violence, Americans are roughly evenly split (31% say left-wing is bigger; 33% say right-wing is bigger). As some may expect, liberals overwhelmingly see right-wing violence as the greater problem, while conservatives overwhelmingly see left-wing violence as the greater problem.
Those sympathetic to Vance’s remarks, including many in conservative media and among Republican officials, have applauded his speech for calling attention to what they see as double standards and for demanding accountability. Turning Point, the organization founded and led by Charlie Kirk, posted a clip of the speech on X calling for people to get involved and “shine a light of truth”.
Vance himself has faced political scrutiny in the past for a statement he made comparing Trump to Hitler in a private message that was later made public “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.” In later statements Vance said that he changed his views on Trump over time and realized his issues with the then former president were based in style not substance.
A spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations told Politco the organization “unequivocally condemned the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk” and said it is “disgraceful to use this tragedy for political ends to dangerously divide Americans and attack the First Amendment.”
Some politically left groups are expressing worry that Vance’s language e.g. urging people to report those who “celebrate” violence, or calling for a crackdown on organizations could lead to overreach, retaliation, or suppression of lawful expression.
Vice President Vance’s speech tapped into deep divisions in how Americans view political violence, and used recent data to argue that the left is more permissive of certain violent or celebratory sentiments than the right. His supporters welcome the clarity and assertiveness of the message; his critics warn of overreach, potential threat to free expression, and insist that the data do not support claims that political violence is broadly accepted by any group.
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