Vice President JD Vance, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, argued that Republicans should not fear using federal power. He said that since Democrats have weaponized it in the past, wielding the power of the government aggressively is permissible.
Thousands gathered at Ole Miss to hear both the Vice President and Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, speak. When it came time for questions, one student asked Vance if Republicans risk abusing power if they use the federal government aggressively while governing.
WATCH: At a TPUSA event at Ole Miss, VP Vance is asked a hypothetical question by a student: If a future “tyrant” president claims a conservative protest is “violent,” could they abuse the same federal power President Trump just used when deploying the National Guard to American… pic.twitter.com/yffXVyM7f5
— Bruce Forman (@Brucenewsreview) October 30, 2025
Vance began his answer by jokingly asking, "What if Joe Biden sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start arresting his political opponents?"
"We cannot be afraid to do something because the left might do it in the future," Vance continued. "The left is already going to do it, regardless of whether we do it. That is the takeaway of the last 40 years."
The concern the student referenced was primarily the Trump administration's use of the National Guard in several major U.S. cities to defend federal agents and assist police in reducing crime rates. The student characterized the move as deploying the military to American cities. While he did not dispute the results, he warned of the easily fathomable abuses of power that could arise from it.
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"If Joe Biden wanted to deploy the National Guard to a red state in a place where the murder rate was twice what it is in third-world countries to actually go after murderers, that would be a great use of the National Guard," the Vice President said. "Unfortunately, I don't think Joe Biden would use it like that. What I'm worried about, frankly, is what the far left already did with American law enforcement — and that is the thing we have to prevent against."
Vance added that aggressive uses of federal power now are necessary to hold those who abused it to account.
"And the answer to that question is, you make sure the people who did it face penalties for using the federal power against American citizens, and by the way, that's exactly what we're trying to do."
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