Vice President J.D. Vance canceled two scheduled appearances in Iowa, including a Turning Point USA event at Iowa State University and a campaign event with U.S. Representative Zach Nunn.

Turning Point USA said Vance would no longer appear alongside Erika Kirk in Ames, citing the need to remain in Washington, D.C., for “critical congressional votes that have been unexpectedly scheduled.” 

Organizers stressed the decision was not related to security concerns. They said efforts to reschedule later in the semester failed due to scheduling conflicts with prep week and final exams at Iowa State University.

TPUSA insists Vance’s absence was due to scheduling, not security, despite heightened threats after the WHCD shooting. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

The group’s statement to supporters was explicit. “To be clear, this is not due to security concerns related to recent events. This is simply a matter of scheduling conflicts,” they said, adding that “his attendance is required back in Washington, D.C., this week for critical congressional votes that have been unexpectedly scheduled.”

Shooting that preceded the cancelation

The cancelation comes days after a violent incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.

Authorities said the suspect, Cole Allen, breached a security perimeter at the Washington Hilton before being stopped and arrested.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., faces federal charges including attempted assassination of the president of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Erika Kirk’s own absence

Footage from the Correspondents’ Dinner showed Kirk visibly shaken as she was escorted out after the shooting. She later addressed the incident publicly.

“Saturday was yet another traumatic example of the evil in our country and the continued rise in political violence. I’m taking time to spend with my family,” she wrote.

Saturday was yet another traumatic example of the evil in our country and the continued rise in political violence. I’m taking time to spend with my family.

I will be joining The Charlie Kirk Show Wednesday at 12PM ET to briefly address what took place. Enough is enough.

— Erika Kirk (@MrsErikaKirk) April 27, 2026

Charlie Kirk was shot in 2025. By: Eduardo Barraza/UPI/Newscom/ Mega

Her response reflects personal loss. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot by a gunman positioned on a rooftop about 142 yards away while speaking at a TPUSA debate event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

Previous Georgia event controversy

At a TPUSA event on April 14, 2026, at Akins Ford Arena at the University of Georgia in Athens, a video showed empty seats while the VP was speaking. Reporting from The Red & Black and The Associated Press said the crowd filled about a third of the arena’s 8,000-seat capacity.

The Akins Ford Arena was less than 25% full, despite free tickets and heavy promotion. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Erika, who had been scheduled to appear alongside Vance, withdrew at the last minute. “I was so looking forward to tonight’s event at the University of Georgia with our Vice President JD Vance, but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously,” she wrote on X.

I was so looking forward to tonight’s event at the @universityofga with our Vice President @JDVance, but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously. Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you… https://t.co/f2rBre9ArJ

— Erika Kirk (@MrsErikaKirk) April 14, 2026

Following the event, the president of the University of Georgia’s TPUSA chapter, Caroline Mattox, resigned. In her letter, she wrote that joining TPUSA had been “a dream” but that after its founder’s death, the organization’s mission had become dishonest. “Charlie spent his life fighting for truth, and I do not believe he would stand for the blatant dishonesty now being spread by the organization that he built,” she wrote.

The TPUSA chapter at the University of Arkansas also disbanded. Its former president, Dino Fantegrossi, said members were “put off by how Charlie Kirk has been used by TPUSA since his assassination.”