Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to his “true friend” Charlie Kirk who was assassinated while speaking at a college campus event in Utah on Wednesday.
In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, Vance spoke about Kirk’s role in his political ascendance, supporting his 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio, introducing him to Donald Trump Jr., and then advocating for him to be Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024.
Vance recalled their friendship began after Kirk sent him a direct message on X, praising his performance in an interview with then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson in 2017.
“Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind,” Vance said. “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.”
Vance, who described Kirk as a “true friend,” said the right-wing political activist earned the trust and love of “people at the very highest level of our government,” as he recognized Kirk’s instrumental role both in getting Trump reelected in 2024 but also in helping the president put his new team together.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
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Trump Jr., who described Kirk as a “little brother to me,” posted a message with similar themes, writing that “there is no question that Charlie’s work and his voice helped my father win the presidency. He changed the direction of this nation.”
“Charlie was never a threat to anyone,” Trump Jr. wrote on X. “He was civil, he was kind, he listened and responded with respect. The only ‘threat’ he ever posed was that he was incredibly effective. He was a powerful messenger of truth, and people heard that truth. That’s what made him a target.”
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Vance said he learned of the shooting while he was in a West Wing meeting.
“I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in,” Vance said. “God didn’t answer those prayers, and that’s OK. He had other plans.”
“You ran a good race, my friend. We’ve got it from here.”
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