Charlie Kirk on JD Vance's Superpower and Why Backing Him Early Was Like Buying Bitcoin in 2013

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2,387 videos 1,376,944,188 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018

Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.

Charlie Kirk on JD Vance's Superpower and Why Backing Him Early Was Like Buying Bitcoin in 2013

Charlie Kirk reflects on his early endorsement of JD Vance for US Senate when it was unpopular, comparing it to buying Bitcoin in 2013. Kirk breaks down Vance's recent interview performance with CBS News' Margaret Brennan, highlighting what he calls Vance's "superpower", the ability to remain remarkably calm and collected under hostile questioning while defending Trump Administration policies. From energy independence to immigration vetting, Kirk explains why Vance has become the warrior vice president that Donald Trump needs, and credits Trump for making an incredibly risky, unconventional choice despite establishment pressure.

January 27, 2025

Early Support When It Was Unpopular

Charlie Kirk backed JD Vance for US Senate from day one, when supporting him was deeply unpopular. Kirk recalls receiving hundreds of angry emails from people who thought they knew better, questioning why he was endorsing Vance over other candidates. Despite the backlash, Kirk saw something special early on—a talent he recognized and decided to go all in on.

During Vance's Senate campaign, he appeared on Kirk's program at least 10 to 15 times. Kirk jokes that he talked to JD Vance more on the show than off the show during that period. In fact, Vance's now-famous "cat lady" remark was made on Kirk's program. Kirk acknowledges that while he doesn't have many gifts, one he does possess is spotting talent early. He compares this early endorsement to buying Bitcoin in 2013—a lot of upside potential that others couldn't see at the time.

The Superpower of Staying Calm Under Fire

Kirk analyzes Vance's recent interview with CBS News' Margaret Brennan, describing what he calls Vance's "superpower." As someone who debates for a living—whether with professors, college students, or anyone who wants to challenge him—Kirk recognizes exceptional talent when he sees it. He compares Vance's natural ability to legendary athletes like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Wayne Gretzky—people who were born with something you simply can't coach.

What sets Vance apart is his ability to remain remarkably calm, as if his heart rate is uninterrupted, as if he's on beta blockers. Kirk describes watching Vance handle hostile questioning from Brennan as being like watching Michael Jordan in game six—you just can't teach that level of performance. Vance stays cool, calm, and collected in an almost effortless way, even while facing what Kirk calls "hostile incoming enemy inquisition and fire."

Defending Trump Administration Policies

In the CBS interview, Vance addressed immigration vetting concerns, pushing back against claims that all refugees have been properly vetted. He pointed to cases during the campaign where people who were allegedly properly vetted were literally planning terrorist attacks on the country. Vance referenced approximately 30,000 people in the pipeline as Afghan refugees, emphasizing that his primary concern as vice president is to look after the American people.

Vance made his position clear: now that we know there are vetting problems with many refugee programs, we absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into the country. He referenced a specific case of someone who allegedly was properly vetted but planned a terrorist attack in Oklahoma. Vance stated he doesn't want his children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted, and because he doesn't want it for his kids, he's not going to force any other American citizen's kids to do that either.

On economic policy and lowering prices for consumers, Vance defended the administration's executive orders. He explained that multiple actions have already caused jobs to start coming back into the country, which is a core part of lowering prices. More capital investment and job creation in the economy will drive down prices for all consumers while also raising wages so people can afford to buy the things they need.

Vance specifically highlighted the administration's actions on energy, including efforts to explore more energy reserves and develop more energy resources in the United States. He identified one of the main drivers of increased prices under the Biden Administration as a massive increase in energy prices. According to Vance, Trump has already taken multiple executive actions that are going to lower energy prices, which he believes means consumers are going to see lower prices at the pump and at the grocery store.

The Famous "I Don't Care Margaret" Moment

Margaret Brennan has become a meme because of one particular exchange where JD Vance says "I don't care Margaret." Kirk notes that Vance is able to be incredibly firm when it comes to the policy positions of the Trump Administration, defending them eloquently and smoothly while also being incredibly likable and appealing. This combination of firmness and likeability is what makes Vance so effective.

Kirk contrasts Vance's performance with Brennan's approach, describing her as representing "the face of liberalism in America—angry, nasty." He says she got completely outclassed by Vance, comparing it to a kid on a varsity high school basketball team trying to go up against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It's simply not the same category—there's such a significant difference in skill level that it's not even a fair match.

Trump's Risky and Unconventional Choice

Kirk emphasizes that everyone around him knows how much he believes in JD Vance. He went all out twice for him—first on the Senate race and then on the vice presidential selection. Vance has only gotten better since those early days, becoming a warrior for the conservative cause.

Ultimately, Kirk gives credit where he believes it's due: to President Donald Trump for selecting Vance as vice president. It was an incredibly risky, unconventional, rule-breaking move. There was tremendous pressure against that choice—the establishment was against him, the uniparty was against him—but Trump trusted his instinct anyway.

Kirk celebrates the result: what a rockstar, loyal, talented number two Trump has defending him every single day. He sees Vance not just as the vice president Trump needs, but as the vice president Trump deserves. While cautioning against getting too far ahead, Kirk even hints at the possibility of Vance as the 48th president, though he acknowledges they shouldn't think or talk too much openly about that yet. For now, he's simply celebrating the fact that Vance is acting and looking like exactly what the Trump Administration needs—someone who is loyal, smart, capable, humble, and phenomenal in every way.

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