Vice President JD Vance is set to host “The Charlie Kirk Show” live from the White House on Monday afternoon, following the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. Kirk was killed by a sniper during a speaking event at Utah Valley University last Wednesday.
Vance announced his appearance as guest host in a post on X, stating, “Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend.”
Following Kirk’s death, Vice President Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to meet with Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife. They then accompanied Kirk’s body back to Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
Vance also shared an extended tribute on social media, reflecting on his friendship with Kirk and highlighting his contributions to conservative politics and mentorship within the movement. He described how Kirk supported his Senate campaign and later advocated for his vice presidential nomination.
In his message, Vance recounted their first interaction after an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show:
“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, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today.”
He continued:
“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 credited Kirk with introducing him to key figures such as Donald Trump Jr., providing strategic advice for his Senate run in early 2021, organizing events through TPUSA (Turning Point USA), and offering personal support during challenging times.
“When I became the VP nominee–something Charlie advocated for both in public and private–Charlie was there for me,” Vance wrote.
He described Kirk’s faith and willingness to engage with opposing viewpoints:
“Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith… Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas… He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.”
Vance also highlighted Kirk’s role as a family man:
“He was a great family man… Charlie really loved his family… He was so proud of Erika and the two kids.”
Reflecting on their friendship’s impact within government circles:
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
Vance concluded with words directed at his late friend:
“You ran a good race, my friend.
We’ve got it from here.”
