Vance to headline Turning Point campus event
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Vice President JD Vance at the White House to watch President Trump posthumously award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Oct. 14. Photo: Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance and members of the Trump family will join Turning Point USA's campus tour, the group announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The announcement underscores the alliance between TPUSA and MAGA heavy hitters as the group moves forward after founder Charlie Kirk's assassination last month.
- For Vance, the tour previews how he'll tap into conservatives' premier campus organizing machine ahead of an expected 2028 presidential bid.
Driving the news: Vance will join Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, at the University of Mississippi on Oct. 29. The appearance will mark Erika Kirk's only appearance on the tour, spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said on The Charlie Kirk Show Wednesday. Kolvet said they expect 9,000 to 10,000 attendees.
- Eric and Lara Trump will speak at Auburn University on Nov. 5, alongside podcaster Benny Johnson and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who is running for Alabama governor and previously coached football at the school.
TPUSA had previously scheduled its campus tour to feature Charlie Kirk hosting his famous "prove me wrong" events. The reworked slate shifts to indoor talks with guest speakers and fewer debate-style exchanges.
- Other speakers so far have included podcaster Megyn Kelly and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.), himself a potential 2028 contender.
What they're saying: Vance told The Charlie Kirk Show he's excited for the Ole Miss stop and views it as part of continuing Kirk's activism.
- "Part of keeping Charlie's memory alive is keeping the mission alive. And nobody can replace Charlie, but if we all sort of take little pieces, we can do as much as we can to ensure that Charlie's mission continues to survive long after he's gone, and part of that is these campus tours," he said.
- "My plan is to give a little speech, talk a little about the issues of the day, but turn most of it over to just do Q&A with the audience. I want to hear from these kids."
Zoom out: Vance and Donald Trump Jr., another friend of Kirk's, are expected to stay involved with TPUSA as the White House seeks to keep the group's work on track before the midterms.
- "I would expect to see both of them turn up at TPUSA events over the next several months and long after that," a source close to Vance and Trump Jr. told Axios' Alex Isenstadt in September. "They understand that Turning Point is now Charlie's political legacy, and they both want to help grow it to be bigger and more influential than ever."
