If Anyone Is Wondering, JD Vance Is No Longer Apologizing for Being White

The first Turning Point USA AmericaFest convention since Charlie Kirk's assassination was filled with a cast of characters normally reserved for a Saturday Night Live sketch. There was a lot of drama in the 2025 edition that definitely highlighted a rift in the new conservative party. From Ben Shapiro calling out Tucker Carlson's platforming of antisemite Nick Fuentes, to Steve Bannon calling Ben a cancer in the party, it was a real tense time.

If we didn't know any better, we'd say Andy Cohen was deep into filming the Real Housewives of the MAGA Party. Were any drinks thrown in people's faces? Apart from the usual pyrotechnics, some new faces made the weekend even weirder. Nicki Minaj and Russell Brand were wild new additions, though both seem to be latching onto the movement as some sort of self-preservation tactic. Then there was Vice President JD Vance, who is done apologizing for being white. OK!

In a speech that can best be described as Big Tent Energy, Vance pivoted from the infighting and instead welcomed everyone into the MAGA party. Vance claimed Trump created a party that doesn't have any purity tests, and that Make America Great Again refers to all Americans. "We don't care if you're white or Black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a little bit boring, or somewhere in between," he said.

After Vance accused Democrats of having few interests outside of "transing kids," he said that if you love America, you'll want everyone to be richer, stronger, safer, and prouder. Speaking of pride, Vance eventually moved on to an old favorite: DEI initiatives from previous administrations. He gleefully said they had been relegated to the "dustbin of history," adding that, "In the United States of America, you don't have to apologize for being white anymore." This was met with a round of applause.

In an interview with UnHerd, Vance said that people like Nick Fuentes aren't the real problem with America today. Despite the fact that Fuentes has described Vance's wife, who is Indian, using an Indian slur, Vance remains unbothered by the podcaster and his followers. While Vance is annoyed by what Fuentes has said about his family, he believes the real problem is Democrats who created a system where white people are discriminated against in college admissions and jobs.

"If you believe racism is bad," said Vance, "Fuentes should occupy one second of your focus, and the people with actual political power who worked so hard to discriminate against white men should occupy many hours of it." He goes on to blame racism in the Right-wing party on a lack of border control that led to the "destruction of social cohesion in the country." Vance claims that "ethnic rivalry and balkanization is the inevitable consequence of these things."