US Vice President JD Vance was interrupted by anti-war hecklers during a Turning Point USA event on Tuesday, underscoring growing backlash over American policy in the Middle East among young Republicans.

“Jesus Christ does not support genocide,” one person shouted out during the event at the University of Georgia in Athens. Shortly after, a voice yelled out, “You’re killing children! You’re bombing children!”

“I agree,” Vance responded. “Jesus Christ certainly does not support genocide, whoever yelled that out from the dark.”

But he said the audience should be thankful for the Trump administration’s negotiation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“You know who’s the person who got a peace agreement in Gaza? Donald J. Trump,” Vance said. “So if you want to complain about what happened in Gaza, why don’t you complain about Joe Biden and the last administration? We’re the administration that solved that problem.”

Vance also addressed criticism of the Iran war later in his remarks during the evening. “I recognize that young voters do not love the policy we have in the Middle East, okay,” he said, adding, “I understand.”

JD Vance gets heckled at TPUSA event: “You’re killing children!” pic.twitter.com/Ga55sfSnch — Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 14, 2026

JD Vance gets heckled at TPUSA event: “You’re killing children!” pic.twitter.com/Ga55sfSnch

— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 14, 2026

The incident at Turning Point USA, an influential youth organization in conservative politics that was founded by Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who was killed last September, comes as the Republican Party has faced blowback over the Iran war from top conservative activists, including Tucker Carlson.

Carlson, who has disparaged the joint US-Israeli war with Iran and increasingly spread anti-Israel and antisemitic conspiracy theories on his show, has long maintained a relationship with Vance, whose refusal to rebuke the commentator has drawn scrutiny from Jewish conservative leaders.

While roughly seven in ten Republicans support the war with Iran, favorable views of Israel have declined among young Republicans in recent years, with 57 percent of Republicans ages 18 to 49 having an unfavorable opinion of Israel, up from 50% last year, according to the Pew Research Center.

Vance has defended the war in public despite reports he privately opposed entering the conflict. He urged the crowd to remain politically engaged despite potential disagreement with the administration.

“I’m not saying you have to agree with me on every issue,” Vance said. “What I am saying is: Don’t get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic. Get more involved, make your voice heard even more. That is how we ultimately take the country back.”

When asked by an attendee which “influencers” he would recommend young people listen to, Vance pointed to the popular podcaster Theo Von, who last June asked the vice president on his show about the “genocide” in Gaza. During that appearance, Vance rebuffed the idea that Israel was committing genocide, a charge that Israel also vehemently denies.

The Turning Point USA event came shortly after Trump assailed Pope Leo XIV for the pope’s criticism of the war, and posted a social media meme that depicted himself as Jesus.

Vance, a self-described devout Catholic, later also spurned the pontiff, saying he “should be more careful” while discussing theology, after the pope said “God does not bless any conflict” and that Christians should never be on the side of those who drop bombs.

Vance offered a different view. “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?” he said. “I certainly think the answer is yes.”

However, not all attendees were convinced.

“I did vote for Trump. I am not a Trump supporter anymore,” said Joseph Bercher, a Catholic who said he was glad that Leo has expressed opposition to the war with Iran.

Bercher said the Jesus meme, which the president took down Monday after a rare conservative backlash, was a “red flag” indicating Trump’s true character.

“He sees himself as like a demagogue or someone to be worshipped,” Bercher said.

CJ Santini, a recent graduate of Liberty University, an evangelical school in Virginia, said he didn’t have an opinion on whether Iran was truly close to manufacturing a nuclear weapon and thus needed to be attacked. But he laughed and shook his head when asked about Trump attacking Leo.

“It’s just stupid. Stupid,” he said, calling it a “distraction” from Trump’s agenda in Iran and at home.

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