Vice President JD Vance will accompany the casket of conservative leader Charlie Kirk on Air Force Two from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, Arizona. Vance and his wife, Usha, will meet Kirk’s widow, Erica, their two young children, and close friends before the solemn flight home.
The Vances had originally been scheduled to attend a 9/11 anniversary ceremony in New York, but chose instead to stand beside the Kirk family. Vance, a close friend of Kirk’s, shared an emotional tribute shortly after his murder, recalling their first connection after a Tucker Carlson appearance. He described Kirk’s curiosity, generosity, and willingness to learn—even changing his mind when proven wrong.
Vance reflected on how Kirk encouraged him during his early Senate ambitions, introducing him to donors, advisers, and even Donald Trump Jr. long before he was a serious contender. Despite Vance polling under 5 percent at the time, Kirk supported him without expecting anything in return—because, Vance said, “he was a good man.”
