For one night, Vance takes Charlie Kirk's place on the college campus debate circuit

Vance took questions from the audience at the University of Mississippi, with students grilling him on issues like immigration and religion.

UNIVERSITY, Miss. — Vice President JD Vance recalled here Wednesday an angry phone call from conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the months before his death — an example, Vance said, of his late friend’s commitment to firm but polite debate.

Kirk, Vance said, was worried whether President Donald Trump’s posture in the Middle East would lead to a long and protracted military conflict involving U.S. troops.

Vance, speaking to supporters of Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization at the University of Mississippi, called it a “great moment for our country” and for his friendship with Kirk, “because friendship is not just about telling everybody what they want to hear.”

“It’s about having the trust in another human being that you can tell them they’re wrong and actually encourage them to change their mind or, in that case, not necessarily even tell us that we were wrong but make sure that we were thinking about all the options,” Vance added.

Kirk, 31, was killed during an appearance last month at Utah Valley University. Kirk, a conservative activist who was a close ally of Vance and Trump, was known for taking his message to college campuses, energizing others on the right and relishing debate with those on the left.