Vice President JD Vance spoke about his close friendship with Charlie Kirk on the first anniversary of the conservative activist's assassination, sharing how Kirk's widow, Erika, inspired him and his wife to have a fourth child.
Vance, who is considered a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2028, reflected on his bond with Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, during an appearance on "The Charlie Kirk Show." The two men met around 2018 or 2019 and quickly developed a rapport, with Kirk becoming an early supporter of Vance's 2022 Ohio Senate campaign.
"I just immediately recognize this is a guy who sees the world in the same way that I do," Vance said of Kirk. "It’s to make people’s lives better and to build a kind of country where young men can become virtuous husbands and fathers and raise good families, and where young women can become virtuous wives and mothers and also raise good families."
Vance recalled Kirk as a steadfast supporter, joking that Kirk was one of the first people to back his Senate run, after his mother, sister, and dog.
Kirk died at age 31 when he was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Vance stated he escorted Kirk's body from Utah to Phoenix aboard Air Force Two following his death.
It was a conversation with Erika Kirk in the immediate aftermath of her husband's death that profoundly affected Vance. "When Erika looked at us and she was crying and upset... she said, 'I wish we had more babies together.' And that hit me like a ton of bricks, man," Vance recounted. He explained that this remark prompted him to consider the irreversible nature of time and life decisions, leading to his family's decision to welcome their fourth child, Alec, who is now six weeks old.
"There’s no silver lining to Charlie’s death. It’s a tragedy. It’s terrible. It left a massive hole in the country. It left a massive hole in my heart, in my personal life. But there are these little rays of sunshine," Vance said, referencing his new son.
As Vance prepared to speak at the Republican midterm convention, he reflected on Kirk's consistent encouragement. "In politics, obviously people have big egos, and there are people who are like, 'Oh, this guy's been in politics for a couple of years, and now he's the vice presidential candidate.' There’s like a little bit of jealousy. Charlie just never had that. Charlie was always just the biggest fan of everybody."
Vance also highlighted Kirk's legacy of openly discussing his Christian faith. "Showing as opposed to telling, was always the most powerful Christian witness to me," Vance stated. He described Kirk's approach as something that sparked curiosity about his faith, leading to meaningful conversations and influencing Vance's own return to his faith.
"To be honest about Charlie’s legacy, I have to talk about my own faith and talk about his faith too. It sort of ripped this bandaid off for me," Vance added. "As pissed off as I still am, as heartbroken as I still am, there is very much a purpose to this. We don’t fully understand it, but we got to have a little humility and try to understand that purpose and live by that purpose as best we can."