Trump, J.D. Vance vow to probe groups on the left after Charlie Kirk’s death

WASHINGTON – US Vice-President J.D. Vance pledged to probe left-leaning groups following the killing of Mr Charlie Kirk, amplifying efforts to memorialise the conservative activist and laying the groundwork for federally scrutinising political opponents, whom some administration officials and supporters have partly blamed for his death.

Mr Vance took the helm of Mr Kirk’s show on Sept 15, hosting a two-hour broadcast from the Vice-President’s Office in Washington.

He mixed tributes to the late activist and accusations that the death stemmed from the rhetoric of left-leaning and progressive groups.

“We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years and I believe is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin’s bullet. We’re going to talk about how to dismantle that,” Mr Vance said on the show.

“We’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence,” he later added, referring to non-governmental organisations.

The authorities have not linked the killing directly to any political groups. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, has said the suspect in the fatal shooting had a “leftist ideology”, while also urging fellow leaders to lower the political temperature.

The comments from Mr Vance and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller – an architect of much of the administration’s policy agenda – seemed to indicate a wide-ranging response.

They also reinforced a message US President Donald Trump and other allies have made in recent days: that the spate of political violence impacting the country has predominantly been at the hands of leftist groups, and that their rhetoric and actions have been partly responsible for Mr Kirk’s death.

However, recent targets of political violence have included both Democrats and Republicans, including Mr Trump himself.

In June, for example, a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were shot.

And in April, an individual set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s residence in Harrisburg, forcing Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate.

Still, Mr Miller went so far as to allege the existence of a domestic left-wing “terror movement” that the administration wants to dismantle.

“We are going to channel all of the anger that we have over the organised campaign that led to this assassination to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks,” Mr Miller told Mr Vance, without identifying any specific groups.

“It is a vast domestic terror movement. And with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have.”

Mr Vance told listeners that alluded to the tax status of foundations or groups aligned with progressive causes, but stopped short of calling for their exempt status to be altered.

On the show, Mr Vance hosted a premier list of Trump administration officials and allies – including Mr Miller, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, conservative media figure Tucker Carlson, as well as other aides and friends of Mr Kirk – to pay tribute to the activist’s legacy.

The White House also displayed the show on screens erected in the press briefing room.

The speakers attested to Mr Kirk’s sprawling influence in the conservative movement, both as the head of Turning Point USA, a group that sought to mobilise young voters, and as a political adviser and ally of Mr Trump.

Ms Wiles credited Mr Kirk and Mr Vance with helping to smooth the nomination paths of Mr Kennedy and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. And she credited Mr Kirk with helping to build an alliance between the health secretary and Mr Trump to support the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Ms Wiles also said Mr Kirk was instrumental in Mr Vance’s ascent to the Republican ticket as Mr Trump’s running mate.

Mr Vance said: “If it weren’t for Charlie Kirk, I would not be the Vice-President of the United States.”

Mr Kennedy called Mr Kirk a “spiritual soulmate” and pointed to discussions about the role of social media in spurring the shooting and other political violence and potentially cracking down on those platforms.

“Ironically, I think Charlie would revolt against that because he hated censorship. What he said is: the answer is conversation and dialogue,” Mr Kennedy added. BLOOMBERG