Vance, Trump Jr. to attend TPUSA events to bolster Charlie Kirk legacy
Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. plan to appear at Turning Point USA (TPUSA) events in the coming months to support the conservative youth organization and honor Charlie Kirk’s political legacy, sources told Fox News (Axios first reported the news). The moves come after Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination and amid TPUSA’s transition to Erika Kirk as CEO and board chair; the appearances are being framed as efforts to keep TPUSA politically potent and well‑funded ahead of the 2026 midterm cycle.
Politics
Elections
🔍 Key Facts
- Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. have plans to attend TPUSA events in the coming months, confirmed to Fox News and first reported by Axios.
- Turning Point USA is now led by Erika Kirk, who was named CEO and board chair following Charlie Kirk’s assassination; Vance accompanied Erika Kirk on Air Force Two to transport Charlie Kirk’s body and both senior figures spoke at the Sept. 21 memorial in Glendale, AZ.
- The stated purpose of the appearances is to 'help grow' Turning Point USA as Charlie Kirk’s political legacy and to ensure the organization remains funded and influential heading into next year’s midterm elections.
📍 Contextual Background
- YouTube and its parent company Alphabet agreed to pay a total of $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald J. Trump over the temporary suspension of his YouTube account after the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.
- Of the $24.5 million settlement with YouTube/Alphabet, $22 million was allocated to Donald J. Trump and directed into the Trust for the National Mall to support construction of the White House State Ballroom.
- As part of the YouTube/Alphabet settlement, $2.5 million was allocated to other plaintiffs whose accounts were removed from the site, including the American Conservative Union.
- Corporate and individual donors have pledged nearly $200 million to cover construction costs for the planned White House State Ballroom; donors named in reports include Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and NextEra Energy.
- JD Vance holds the office of Vice President of the United States.
- U.S. federal law Section 230 provides online platforms with broad legal protections that allow them to make content-moderation decisions without being held liable for those decisions.
- Donald J. Trump's accounts on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and X were restored in 2022.