Vice President JD Vance speaks at TPUSA's AmericaFest in Phoenix. (Caylo Seals/Getty Images)
The annual gathering was Turning Point's first since co-founder and conservative champion Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September.
Vance and Charlie Kirk were close friends, and the vice president, who credits Kirk with his political rise, appeared to blame "far left" Democrats and their agenda for his death.
VANCE SAYS AMERICA FIRST MOVEMENT REJECTS ‘PURITY TESTS’
"If you miss Charlie Kirk, do you promise to fight what he died for? Do you promise to take the country back from the people who took his life?" Vance asked the crowd.
Erika Kirk greets Vice President JD Vance during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix. (Jon Cherry/AP Photo)
And the conference, which drew tens of thousands of MAGA supporters, kicked off on Thursday with Charlie Kirk's widow backing Vance in 2028.
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Ericka Kirk, who took over the reins of Turning Point after her husband's murder, said, "We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," in 2028. "Forty-eight" refers to the number of the next president.
The backing of the vice president by Kirk and Turning Point, which is particularly influential among younger conservatives and whose political arm has built up a powerful grassroot outreach operation, could give Vance a major boost should he decide to run for president in the 2028 election.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jd-vance-turns-turning-point-speech-midterm-battle-cry-preview-2028