JD Vance Heckled at Embarrassingly Empty Turning Point USA Event
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
newrepublic.com /post/209075/jd-vance-heckled-turning-point-usa-event
JD Vance Heckled at Embarrassingly Empty Turning Point USA Event
Edith Olmsted 22-28 minutes 4/14/2026
Vice President JD Vance’s address to a puny crowd at a Turning Point USA event Tuesday night was repeatedly interrupted by an antiwar protester.
Speaking at the University of Georgia, Vance was faced with backlash to Donald Trump’s Middle East policies up close and in person. While local activists expected a large crowd at the event, which was heavily promoted by TPUSA, the 8,000-seat arena venue was only a quarter-full. Videos and photographs of the event posted to X showed thousands of empty seats.
Despite the meager turnout, not everyone in the audience was a fan.
“How can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” Vance asked , describing the liberation of Europe from the Nazis during World War II—a truly ridiculous analogy to Trump’s reckless war in Iran.
“Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” one audience member shouted .
“I agree, Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide, whoever yelled that out from the dark. He certainly does not,” Vance said.
“Why are you committing genocide in Gaza?” the heckler continued.
The crowd burst into boos at the interruption, and Vance insisted he be allowed to continue his point before he responded. A few minutes later, turning his attention back to the heckler, Vance lied that the Trump administration had ended the killing of Palestinians.
“So, if you want, sir, to complain about what happened in Gaza, why don’t you complain about Joe Biden and the last administration? We’re the administration that solved that problem.”
“You’re killing children!” the heckler shouted . “You’re bombing children!”
Vance claimed that there was more humanitarian aid coming into Gaza now than anytime in the past five years. In reality, Israel is still severely limiting humanitarian aid into Gaza, and has closed all but one border crossing since the start of its military campaign in Iran.
When the U.S. supposedly mediated the end of Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, the Trump administration turned it into a lucrative real estate deal, while clearing the way for Israel to continue its deadly strikes , oppression , and violent land grabs in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, in Iran, the U.S. and Israel are bombing children: At least 22 schools and 17 health care facilities have been damaged since the beginning of the war, when the U.S. conducted a missile strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab that killed at least 168 children.
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The main floor was fairly full but the bleachers were almost empty.
He's a premature hasbeen.
Misleading headline.
Vance was heckled by a far left wing activist and responded to him appropriately.
BTW...New Republic is a far left wing hack rag.
The empty arena is a reflection of his hollow rhetoric espousing meaningless, insincere policies, as well as the void between his ears.