October 1, 2026
Vice President JD Vance on Monday joined those demanding consequences for those who have cheered Charlie Kirk's assassination, calling on the public to turn in anyone who celebrate the assassination of his friend and political ally and encourage further violence.
“When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out,” Vance urged listeners on the slain activist’s podcast Monday. “And hell, call their employer.”
Vance's call also included a vow to target some of the biggest funders of liberal causes, as conservatives stepped up their targeting of private individuals for their comments celebrating the killing and encouraging more violence.
Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas have launched investigations of teachers accused of inappropriate statements after last week’s assassination. The U.S. military has invited members of the public to report those who “celebrate or mock” the killing and said some troops have already been removed for their comments.
At the same time, the Trump administration has vowed to target what it contends is a vast liberal network that inspired the shooter.
A father of two and Christian conservative, Kirk was a hero to many Trump Republicans for his fiery warnings about the dangers of Democrats and his ability to organize young voters. But Kirk's method of engagement was often provocative. A supporter of Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss, Kirk left a long record of partisan quips that enraged many on the left.
“According to Kirk, empathy is a made-up new-age term, so keep the jokes coming. It’s what he would have wanted,” read one post on X that Melvin Villaver Jr., a Clemson University music professor, re-posted the day of the killing, according to a screenshot circulated by college Republicans demanding his firing. Clemson eventually fired one staffer and suspended Villaver and another professor after intense pressure from elected South Carolina Republican officials.
Kirk's complete quote was, "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video of a Texas Tech University student who was arrested Friday after a confrontation at a campus vigil for Kirk, writing: “This is what happened to the person who was mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Texas Tech."
Authorities say Kirk was shot by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was enmeshed in “leftist ideology,” according to the state's Republican governor, Spencer Cox.
Cox said investigators may reveal more about what motivated the attack after Robinson's initial court appearance, scheduled for Tuesday. The governor said the suspect, who allegedly carved memes onto his bullet casings, appeared radicalized by the “dark corners of the internet.”
On Monday, Vance was joined on Kirk’s podcast by Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, who vowed to crack down on what he called the “vast domestic terrorist network” he blamed for Kirk’s death.
Alluding to free speech concerns, Vance said: “You have the crazies on the far left that say, ’Oh, Stephen Miller and JD Vance, they’re going to go after constitutionally protected speech.'”
But he added: “No, no, no! We’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence,” — a reference to non-governmental organizations.
Share with others
