Vance says Charlie Kirk warned US risked a ‘protracted’ Middle East conflict before his death

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance has revealed a private and emotional phone conversation he had with Charlie Kirk shortly before the conservative activist’s death, sharing how the Turning Point USA founder expressed deep fears about America being drawn into another prolonged Middle East war.

Speaking at a public event on Thursday, October 29, Vance said that Kirk had called him personally to voice his concerns after US intelligence confirmed that Iran was moving forward with its nuclear ambitions. 

“Charlie did not always agree with our policies,” Vance recalled. “Charlie Kirk called me and he was mad and he said, ‘JD, I'm really worried that what is going on in the Middle East is going to lead the United States into a protracted military conflict.’ I've never told anybody that. Charlie was really worried about that in the final months of his life.”

JD Vance credits Charlie Kirk’s warning for influencing restraint

Vance said Kirk’s warning stayed with him and influenced the administration’s cautious approach in responding to Iran’s nuclear escalation. The vice president praised the late activist for reminding him of the American people’s exhaustion with endless wars.

“I really believed that one of the reasons why the President knocked out the Iranian nuclear facilities but never got the United States into a protracted military conflict and never lost a single American in a Middle Eastern conflict,” Vance said, “is because we had the wisdom and the good sense to recognize that the American people are done with American troops dying in unnecessary foreign conflicts. Charlie Kirk reminded me of that.

Kirk’s influence, Vance suggested, reflected a broader sentiment among conservatives skeptical of foreign entanglements, a position that has gained traction within Republican ranks in recent years.

Remembering Charlie Kirk’s legacy

Charlie Kirk, who was killed last month while speaking at Utah Valley University, was known for his outspoken views on government overreach, national sovereignty, and the cost of US interventionism abroad. His final months, according to JD Vance, were marked by a growing fear that the United States would repeat the mistakes of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Charlie was really worried about that,” Vance said solemnly, adding that his late friend’s perspective reinforced the administration’s commitment to limited, targeted action.

JD Vance defends immigration stance and calls for restoring faith in public life

At the same Turning Point USA event, Vice President JD Vance faced pointed questions about immigration and faith in public life, and didn’t hold back in his response. When asked why his administration was “pushing out policies that hurt immigrants,” Vance replied firmly, “There’s too many people who want to come in. My job as vice president is not to look out for the interests of the whole world. It’s to look out for the people of the United States.”

He went on to defend his stance on restoring religious values in American society, saying, “You do not have to completely kick God out of the public square, which is what we’ve done in modern America. It’s not what the founders wanted and anybody who tells you it’s required by the Constitution is lying to you.”