US Vice President JD Vance faced repeated interruptions from anti-war protesters during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on April 14. The disruption began mid-speech when a protester shouted, "Jesus doesn't support genocide!"
“You're killing children!”, directly accusing the US government of backing Israel's war on the Gaza Strip. Moments later, another voice added, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide,” followed by, “You're bombing children!”
Responding to the remark, Vance said, "I agree Jesus Christ does not support genocide. Whoever yelled that out from the dark... He certainly does not. I think that's pretty easy. I think that's a pretty easy principle."
His reply drew boos from sections of the audience as he tried to continue speaking. At one point, he even asked the protester to let him finish.
"I believe he said, 'the (Trump) administration supports a genocide in Gaza.' And here's my response to that, when we came in, the humanitarian situation in Gaza was an absolute catastrophe. You know, who's the person who got a peace agreement in Gaza? Donald J. Trump!” He added that critics should instead question the previous administration led by Joe Biden.
JD Vance gets heckled at TPUSA event: “You're killing children!” pic.twitter.com/Ga55sfSnch
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 14, 2026
As the exchange escalated, the protester again shouted, “You're killing children!”, prompting Vance to respond, "Excuse me, sir... right now, you see more humanitarian aid coming in Gaza than at any time in the past five years because we have taken that situation seriously."
The Turning Point USA gathering took place on the heels of US President Donald Trump targeting Pope Leo XIV. Trump launched into a tirade against the pontiff over his criticism of the war and even posted a controversial meme portraying himself as Jesus Christ.
Addressing the pope's remarks on US foreign policy, Vance said, “I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology… If you're going to opine on matters of theology, you've got to be careful. You've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth.”
He pushed back on the pope's suggestion that “God is never on the side of those who willed the sword.” Referring to events like the US role in defeating the Nazis and freeing concentration camps, he asked if God was on the American side and added that “the answer is yes.”
Meanwhile, efforts are on to get Washington and Tehran back to the table and end the war. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire which hangs by a thread.
