Vance says Christian values key to nation’s future, slams liberalism at TPUSA event

Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at length during a large Turning Point USA rally at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in honor of Charlie Kirk, during which he shared the slain conservative activist’s influence on his faith and told students that a “properly rooted Christian moral system” is the key to the country’s future.

After the audience heard from Kirk’s widow, Erika, Vance took the stage and spoke briefly before taking questions from the audience on a range of issues from immigration to National Guard deployments and the Second Amendment. But many questions revolved around Vance’s faith and its influence on the way he governed as vice president. Some asked about his views on religious freedom while another asked how he would raise his family in a dual-religious home where his wife is Hindu.

“I make no apology for believing that Christian values ​​are an important foundation of this country,” Vance said in response to a question about the separation of church and state. “Anyone who tells you their viewpoint is neutral likely has an agenda to sell you out. And I’m at least honest about the fact that I think the Christian foundation of this country is a good thing.”

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Meanwhile, Vance criticized contemporary liberalism in his comments about the faith on Wednesday night, calling it a “skewed version of Christianity.”

“There’s nothing wrong, of course, with focusing on disadvantaged people, for example. That’s what liberalism is all about. But if you separate it completely from any religious duty or any civic virtue, that can actually become, for example, an incentive to lawlessness,” Vance said while responding to a question. “You can’t just have compassion for the criminal. You also have to have justice. That’s why I believe a properly rooted Christian moral system is an important part of our country’s future.”

Vance went on to say that he does not believe God should be expelled from the public square, adding that he does not believe that is what the founders intended.

“Anyone who tells you this is required by the Constitution is lying to you,” Vance said. “What happened was that the Supreme Court interpreted the phrase ‘congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion’ to mean expelling the church from virtually every public place at the federal, state, and local levels. I think it was a terrible mistake, and we are still paying for the consequences of it today.”

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In addition to receiving tough, policy-oriented questions about faith and religion, Vance was also asked at one point about living in an interfaith household. Vance’s wife is Hindu.

Attendees listen as Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a campus tour titled “This Is the Turning Point” at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, Mississippi, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Vance pointed out that when they met he was not a Christian, but over time he and his wife, Usha, decided to raise their children as Christians. Vance said open communication and respect for each other’s beliefs played a role in his marriage and his family’s decision to raise their children Christian.

“Most Sundays she comes with me to church. As I’ve told her, and as I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends, ‘Do I hope that in the end she will be moved in some way by the same thing that church moved me to do?’ “Yes, honestly, I hope so. Because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope my wife will see it the same way in the end. But if she doesn’t, God says everyone has free will, so that’s no problem for me.”

Vance also spoke about Kirk’s influence on his faith during Wednesday night’s ceremony honoring the slain activist. Vance said Kirk, at least in part, pushed him to be bolder about his faith.

Banners with a picture of Charlie Kirk appear before Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at a Turning Point USA event in the pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, Wednesday, October 29, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

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“This is another way that Charlie impacted my life — I would say that I grew up again in a generation where, even if people had a very deep personal faith, they didn’t talk about their faith very much,” Vance told the audience as he remembered his late friend.

“But the reason I’m trying to be the best husband, the best father, the reason I care so much about all the issues we’re going to talk about, is because I believe I’ve been put in this position for a short period of time to do the most good for God and the country that I love so much. And that’s the most important way my faith impacts me.”