U.S. Vice-President JD Vance hosted the return episode of The Charlie Kirk Show on Monday, honouring the late conservative activist, who was shot and killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” Vance wrote on X, sharing a link to Rumble where viewers can watch the episode that premiered on Monday at noon.
Vance kicked off The Charlie Kirk Show with a tribute to Kirk and spoke about his meeting with Kirk’s widow, Erika.
“The last several days have been extremely hard for our country,” Vance said. “He was a critical part of getting Donald Trump elected as president, getting me elected as vice president and so much of our success over the last seven months is due to his efforts — his staffing, his support and his friendship. I don’t think that I’m alone in saying that Charlie was the smartest political operative I ever met.”
Vance said that when he met with Erika, he “had no idea what to say.”
“I didn’t try to console her, because how can you console a person who just lost a loving husband and father? But we just talked about Charlie. We talked about who he was, we talked about some of our favourite stories,” he added.
Last week, Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket as it arrived in his home state of Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
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Vance honoured Kirk with the final flight and helped carry his casket with a group of uniformed service members as it was loaded onto the plane.
Vance’s wife, Usha, stepped off the plane with Erika — both women wearing black outfits and sunglasses.
In a tribute posted on X Wednesday, Vance said Kirk was “a true friend.”
“The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones,” Vance wrote.
It was also recently announced that a massive public memorial service for Kirk is scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., according to Turning Point USA. The stadium can fit roughly 63,000 people.
Turning Point USA, a nonprofit founded by Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012, shared a post on X announcing the event to honour Kirk’s life.
“Join us in celebrating the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Charlie Kirk, an American legend,” the post read.
Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, vowed Friday to continue her late husband’s mission while speaking publicly for the first time since his death.
“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea,” she said. “You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea. You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
“I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart,” she added. “I honestly have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does, but I don’t.”
Erika made her comments in a video titled “Charlie Kirk’s beloved wife, Mrs. Erika Kirk addresses the Nation,” which was shared on the social media pages of Turning Point USA.
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