Vance’s Comments on Using Federal Power Raises Eyebrows

Vice President J.D. Vance addressed students at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday and spoke directly about something that’s become a growing conversation on the right — how Republicans should handle federal power when they’re in control.

Speaking at a Turning Point USA event on the Ole Miss campus, Vance responded to a student who asked whether Republicans risk crossing the line by using the federal government more aggressively in the future. Vance didn’t shy away from the question. Instead, he leaned in.

“We cannot be afraid to do something because the left might do it in the future,” Vance told the crowd. “The left is already going to do it, regardless of whether we do it. That is the takeaway of the last 40 years.”

He pointed to what many conservatives see as political double standards in recent years. In a sarcastic tone, Vance joked, “What if Joe Biden sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start arresting his political opponents?” — a clear reference to the criminal charges that former President Donald Trump has faced since leaving office. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and has said the cases are politically motivated. His supporters have pointed to the timing and the nature of the charges as signs that the justice system has been, in their words, “weaponized.”

Vance argued that Republicans should stop playing defense when it comes to using the tools of federal government. He said if the government has the ability to address serious issues like violent crime and immigration problems, it should be used to do exactly that — especially if local leaders are failing to keep their cities safe.

The Vice President pointed to crime rates in some cities as an example. “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,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think Joe Biden would use it like that.”

Under the current administration of President Donald Trump and Vice President Vance, the National Guard has already been deployed to several cities, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis. Plans are underway to expand those deployments to more than a dozen additional states, mainly to assist with immigration enforcement and rising crime.