Vice President JD Vance drew widespread criticism following controversial remarks about race delivered at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix on December 21, 2025.
Speaking to thousands of young conservative activists, Vance declared that “in the United States of America, you don’t have to apologize for being white anymore,” a statement that immediately sparked fierce backlash from civil rights leaders, Democratic lawmakers, and political commentators who accused him of fueling racial division.
The four-day AmericaFest gathering marked the first such event since the September assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, now leads the organization and publicly endorsed Vance for a potential 2028 presidential run during the conference’s opening session.
Vance’s remarks came as he defended the Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs across federal agencies. “We have relegated DEI to the dustbin of history, which is exactly where it belongs,” Vance told the crowd, adding that Americans should be judged “based on who they are, not on ethnicity and things they can’t control.”
Critics immediately condemned the vice president’s comments as racially charged rhetoric designed to appeal to white grievance politics. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota called the remarks “disgusting, racist, and sexist,” while NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Vance was “using the highest office in the land to sow hatred rooted in falsehoods.”
Civil rights advocates noted the irony of Vance claiming to oppose judging people by ethnicity while simultaneously promoting narratives about immigrant communities that critics say rely on racial stereotyping. During the 2024 campaign, Vance admitted on CNN’s State of the Union that he was willing to “create stories so that the American media actually pays attention,” a confession that came after he promoted debunked claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating residents’ pets. Those false allegations led to bomb threats and school evacuations in the Ohio community.
The vice president also addressed his wife Usha Vance during his AmericaFest speech, issuing a profanity-laced defense against critics. “Anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat s—,” he declared, establishing what he called his “official policy as vice president.”
Vance’s comments reflected broader tensions within the conservative movement following Kirk’s death. The AmericaFest conference exposed internal rifts, with speakers including Ben Shapiro and Steve Bannon attacking each other by name over the direction of right-wing politics and how to handle far-right figures like white supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes.
The vice president attempted to unite the fractured factions, telling attendees, “we have far more important work to do than canceling each other” and urging conservatives to focus on “loving America” rather than internal purity tests.
Political analysts noted that Vance’s willingness to use racially divisive rhetoric while claiming to oppose identity politics has become a defining characteristic of his political approach. His September 2024 admission that he fabricates stories to drive media attention raised questions about whether his current statements reflect genuine policy positions or calculated attempts to generate controversy.
The Trump administration has made dismantling DEI programs a central focus since taking office in January 2025. President Trump issued an executive order on his first day directing federal agencies to terminate diversity initiatives, a move the administration claims will restore “merit-based” hiring practices.
Democratic lawmakers warned that Vance’s AmericaFest remarks signal an escalation of the administration’s approach to discussing race and immigration. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the rhetoric “dangerous” and accused the administration of scapegoating marginalized communities to distract from policy failures.
As Vance positions himself for a potential 2028 presidential campaign, his AmericaFest speech demonstrated his willingness to embrace provocative language on sensitive topics, a strategy that energizes the MAGA base while drawing condemnation from civil rights organizations and mainstream political observers.
