JD Vance Heckled at Turning Point USA Event in Georgia

On April 14 at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia’s mostly empty Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Vice President JD Vance was repeatedly interrupted and heckled by at least one young member of the audience. While Vance was criticizing Pope Leo XIV’s statement that “the Prince of Peace is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” a heckler in the audience shouted, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide.” Hoping to quiet the heckler, Vance responded, “Whoever yelled that out from the dark, yes, I agree, Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide…. I think that’s a pretty easy principle.” The heckler went on, “Why are you committing genocide in Gaza?” Vance continued to criticize the Pope, but then answered the heckler by blaming the Biden administration for the crisis in Gaza and praising the Trump administration for achieving a peace treaty for the territory. At best, Vance was only half-correct in this answer. Biden clearly gave the money, weapons, and political cover to facilitate the genocide in Gaza, but the genocide continued under the Trump administration, and the killing and starvation continues under the “peace treaty.” The heckler added, “You’re killing children, you’re bombing children,” but security staff escorted him out of the arena. Vance said that the protester “just ran away angry.” Hundreds of demonstrators were outside of the arena chanting, “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!”