U.S. Vice President JD Vance drew sharp criticism after refusing to denounce an antisemitic comment made by a student during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi — deepening unease over rising antisemitism among young conservatives and the Republican Party’s evolving stance on Israel.

The incident unfolded as Vance took questions from the audience, where a student wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat challenged U.S. aid to Israel and invoked antisemitic tropes about Judaism.

“I’m a Christian,” the student said, “and I’m confused why we owe Israel something … to cover this, to quote Charlie Kirk, ‘ethnic cleansing in Gaza.’” The student went further, claiming Judaism “openly supports the prosecution” of Christianity — remarks that drew scattered applause but no rebuke from the vice president.

Vance’s appearance, part of TPUSA’s nationwide college tour, underscored a growing fracture in the conservative movement over Israel. Once a bedrock issue for the GOP, support for Israel has weakened sharply among younger Republicans since the Gaza war, polls show. Figures such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have amplified anti-Israel rhetoric within pro-Trump circles, fueling skepticism toward the U.S.–Israel alliance.

Pressed earlier by another student about whether Israeli-American donor Miriam Adelson’s financial support for the Trump campaign posed a “conflict of interest,” Vance defended both Trump and Adelson. “She’s very clear that she loves Israel, and that’s part of what motivates her giving,” he said, “but the president is America First, through and through.”

Throughout the night, Vance repeatedly framed his answers through an “America First” lens.

“Israel sometimes has similar interests to the United States, and sometimes they don’t,” he said. In discussing President Trump’s recently brokered ceasefire and hostage-return deal, Vance praised the president for “being willing to apply leverage to the state of Israel,” saying it showed Trump “wasn’t controlled by” Jerusalem.

That phrasing itself drew backlash from Jewish commentators who said it echoed antisemitic conspiracy theories. “With one careless phrase, the vice president repeated one of the oldest lies in history — that Jews secretly control governments,” wrote conservative journalist Daniel Mael. “The claim that Judaism attacks Christianity is not ignorance; it is sewage from the alt-right media machine.”

Despite multiple opportunities, Vance declined to condemn the student’s antisemitic comments directly, instead acknowledging theological differences between Jews and Christians.

Critics say the vice president’s avoidance reflects a troubling tolerance of bigotry within parts of the MAGA movement.

“Tonight the vice president had an opportunity to denounce antisemitism amid its historic surge,” Jewish conservative activist Sloan Rachmuth posted on X. “He chose not to.”

Columnist Jonah Goldberg called Vance’s response “a profile in cowardice.”

The exchange comes as Republican infighting over Israel intensifies. Once-staunchly pro-Israel organizations are facing open hostility from segments of the right that view the alliance as contrary to “America First” nationalism. Analysts warn that failure to confront antisemitic rhetoric risks mainstreaming it within conservative youth culture.

Vance — a Catholic convert often described as Trump’s ideological heir — appeared unbothered by the criticism. Wrapping up the Q&A, he thanked his audience, including the Israel skeptics, for contributing to what he called a “big-tent” conservative movement.
“We don’t need people who agree with us on every issue,” he said. “What we need are people who love the United States and are willing to work hard to save it.”

But to many Jewish conservatives, the message rang hollow.

“At a Turning Point event this week, a young man said something that should have been met with instant moral outrage,” Mael wrote. “Instead, the vice president treated it as a legitimate question.”

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