Vice President J.D. Vance on Wednesday stepped up his criticism of the left after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and warned that the First Amendment does not protect those who allegedly celebrated the death of the conservative activist from the consequences, while reaffirming the White House’s determination to pursue progressive-trend organizations that he says are inciting violence.
“The First Amendment protects many disgusting expressions, but if you celebrate Charlie Kirk’s death, you shouldn’t be protected from being fired for being a disgusting person,” Vance told Fox News. If you’re a college professor and you benefit from American taxpayer money, you shouldn’t celebrate Charlie Kirk’s death. If you do, maybe you should lose your job, or your university should face a loss of funding.
Vance added, “If you’re the kind of person who thinks Charlie Kirk was justifiably murdered, sometimes the government can’t do anything about it. But you know who can do something: civil society. In fact, I was pleased to see all these people stand up and say, “Yes, we have freedom of speech and yes, we have freedom of debate, but if you are celebrating the death of a young father, you must pay the consequences for it.”
The First Amendment does not universally protect people from the professional consequences of saying something offensive.
However, in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, the Trump administration has indicated that it intends to investigate or take other action against progressive groups, which critics see as an attempt to suppress freedom of expression and dissent.
Justice Secretary Pam Bondi said earlier this week that the government would pursue hate-inducing those who incite hatred, although it later appeared to retract.
Vance’s comments, in particular his threats to federal funding to universities, reflect how the administration could use the government’s tools to push that initiative.
Vance went on to say that there have been discussions within the administration about the possibility of attacking organizations that he says fund left-wing political violence.
“We are working very hard to ensure that the networks of financing left-wing violence, the networks of radicalization of leftist violence, if they encourage or fund their fellow Americans or anyone else to commit acts of violence because they do not agree with political discourse, will be treated as a terrorist organization, and we will pursue them,” the vice president said.
Vance’s comments coincided with President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Antifa, a far-left anti-fascism movement, as a terrorist organization.
Vance also echoed Trump’s comments last week that left-wing radicals are the problem, implying that right-wing radicals are not.
“The idea that left-wing violence and right-wing violence in the United States in the United States are the same is absurd,” Vance said Wednesday.
When asked about the Democrats’ calls to lower the temperature, Vance said: Yes, of course, let’s certainly lower the temperature. But if you want to lower the temperature and you’re center-left, the first and most important thing you can do is look in the mirror.
The vice president shared in the interview that he was the one who told Trump about Kirk’s passing.
“The president is very stoic, but he was clearly upset,” Vance said of Trump’s reaction to the news. He just fell silent and let the situation assimilate a little, and then he just shook his head and said, “Wow, he is… he was a good guy and we really wanted it.”
Vance also gave Kirk credit for supporting him throughout his political career, saying, “I wouldn’t be the vice president of the United States if it weren’t for Charlie Kirk.
“Apart from Donald Trump, I can’t think of a single person who deserves more credit,” Vance said, pointing to Kirk’s support during his Senate primaries and defending Vance as the vice presidential candidate.
When asked if he supports televising Tyler Robinson’s trial, the suspect in Kirk’s shooting, Vance said, “I think it’s a good idea.”
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