OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
2:45 PM – Thursday, September 11, 2025
Vice President JD Vance will travel with his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, to Salt Lake City on Thursday to pay their respects to Charlie Kirk’s family following the conservative debater’s horrific assassination at a Utah university.
Kirk was shot dead at an event hosted by his co-founded organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), where he aimed to engage in an open debate with college students.
The Vances had been scheduled to visit Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Kirk’s shocking assassination, however, led the vice presidential couple to make a last-minute change of plans.
Advertisement
JD Vance and Kirk were close friends, with Kirk among the first people Vance contacted when he was contemplating a Senate run in 2021. In the aftermath of the tragic shooting, the vice president shared an online call for prayers. Vance also paid tribute to Kirk, the 31-year-old father of two, in an almost 1,000-word post on X, reflecting on how their friendship began during President Donald Trump’s first term.
“Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind,” Vance said. He added, “When others were right, he learned from them. When he was right–as he usually was–he was generous. With Charlie, the attitude was never, ‘I told you so.’ But: ‘welcome.’”
Vance also credited Kirk for introducing him to President Donald Trump while he was still somewhat critical of him.
“Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his [Trump’s] donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I’d go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man,” Vance explained.
The vice president also reflected on how becoming the VP nominee impacted him and his family, while expressing his admiration for Kirk for “constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers.”
“He wasn’t just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists. And after every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do,” Vance said.
He also said that even though the two argued over Catholicism and Protestantism, “Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith.”
“Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas,” Vance wrote. “He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he’d encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.”
Kirk’s casket will reportedly be flown from Utah to Arizona on Air Force Two on Thursday.
“You ran a good race, my friend,” Vance concluded. “We’ve got it from here.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
