Vance tells Republicans to stop fearing federal power, says Democrats pioneered weaponizing it

Vice President JD Vance told a Turning Point USA audience Wednesday that Republicans shouldn’t fear using federal power, arguing the left has already weaponized it in the past.

Vance was responding to a question from an audience member at the University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss," who asked whether Republicans risk "abusing that power" if they use the federal government aggressively when governing.

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

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Vice President JD Vance addresses a Turning Point USA audience at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

Vance sarcastically prefaced his answer by saying, "What if Joe Biden sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start arresting his political opponents," a dig at the criminal cases brought against former President Donald Trump over the last few years.

The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Memphis, Tenn., with plans to send troops to as many as 19 states to support immigration enforcement and fight crime.

At the University of Mississippi, Vice President JD Vance was asked whether Republicans risk "abusing that power" if they use the federal government aggressively when governing. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

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"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," Vance continued.

"Unfortunately, I don't think Joe Biden would use it like that," the vice president added. "What I'm worried about, frankly, is what the far left already did with American law enforcement — and that is the thing we have to prevent against."

District of Columbia National Guard members patrol outside Union Station, Sept. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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He said that preventing future misuse of federal power requires holding those responsible to account.

"And the answer to that question is, you make sure the people who did it face penalties for using the federal power against American citizens," he said. "And by the way, that's exactly what we're trying to do."