Vice President JD Vance personally accompanied the body of conservative activist Charlie Kirk from Utah to Phoenix on Thursday, canceling planned attendance at a 9/11 commemoration in Manhattan to travel with his wife aboard Air Force Two and be with Kirk’s family and friends.
The hearse carrying Kirk’s remains entered Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, where the remains were transferred to the presidential transport and flown to Arizona with Vance at their side. The decision to divert from the vice president’s public schedule came hours after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at a public event at Utah Valley University.
Vance on Wednesday night posted an extensive tribute on X, detailing a friendship that began about 2017 after an early interaction on social media and that, he wrote, helped move both men from 2016 skepticism of Donald Trump to active champions of the former president.
"A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk," Vance wrote. "Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind. Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives. 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 recounted that Kirk was among the earliest supporters who encouraged him to enter the political arena, asking him to speak at Turning Point USA events, introducing him to well-connected conservative figures and, at Kirk’s urging, connecting him with Donald Trump Jr. at a time when the Trump family remained skeptical of Vance because of his earlier criticisms.
"Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too (sic)," Vance wrote. He said Kirk helped him strategize when he contemplated a 2021 Senate run and that Kirk "walked the underdog candidate around the room" after a speaking appearance and offered coaching and introductions.
Vance, who became vice president after the 2024 election, described Kirk as a steady presence for his family during the campaign and its aftermath. "Our kids, especially our oldest, struggled with the attention and the constant presence of the protective detail. I felt this acute sense of guilt, that I had conscripted my kids into this life without getting their permission," Vance wrote. "Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. 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 added that he had publicly thanked Kirk at a Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball on Jan. 19, 2025, for his role in helping President Trump win the 2024 election. He said President Trump, when informed of Kirk’s death, told Vance in the Oval Office, "I know he was a very good friend of yours," and noted Kirk’s devotion to family.
"Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him," Vance wrote. "Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas."
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent figure in conservative youth politics, was shot while speaking at a public event at Utah Valley University and died within hours, according to media accounts. Authorities have been investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
Vance’s decision to accompany the remains underscored the personal nature of a relationship that Republican operatives and conservative activists have described as influential in shaping both men’s political trajectories. Vance framed the relationship as born of intellectual curiosity and mutual encouragement and emphasized Kirk’s role in introducing him to networks that later supported his rise.
In his X post, Vance described Kirk as "fascinated by ideas," willing to change his mind and generous when he was proven right. He said Kirk's encouragement during early, low-polling moments of his political career had no expectation of return: "He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man."
White House and campaign schedules for the vice president indicated the abrupt change to travel plans. Vance’s office did not immediately provide additional public comments beyond his X post. Authorities and law enforcement agencies in Utah continue to release details about the shooting as investigations proceed.