JD Vance Cancels 9/11 Plans, Rushes to Be With Charlie Kirk's Family

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, have diverted from their original plan to be in New York City Thursday for the 9/11 commemorations and are instead rushing to be with Charlie Kirk's family in Utah.

The couple were to have participated in events at Ground Zero as the country marks the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while also dealing with the devastating news of Kirk's assassination. They will now head west to be with Erika Kirk, Charlie's wife, and the couple's two young children. Vance took to X on Wednesday evening to talk about his "true friend," Charlie Kirk.

New: Leaked Memo Reveals Disturbing Details About Kirk Assassin, Engravings on Recovered Rounds

According to the vice president's tweet (which is included in its entirety at the bottom of this story), the two first became acquainted back in 2017 after Vance, who had yet to wade into politics at the time, appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show; Kirk reached out immediately afterward to compliment Vance on his appearance, and a friendship was born.

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.…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 11, 2025

Charlie Kirk was one of the first people Vance turned to in 2021 to when he was beginning to think about running for the open Senate seat in Ohio. Vance himself was somewhat skeptical there was a path to victory, but Kirk not only helped him gameplan it out, he also introduced the vice president to donors and grassroots activists who could help make it happen.

Per the vice president's tweet:

Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. "Like his dad, he's misunderstood. He's extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength." Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him [to].

And then there was the issue of Donald Trump, about whom both Kirk and Vance had been openly critical at various times. In talking it through, the two found common ground. "Like me," tweeted Vance, "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."

Kirk was also a source of strength when Vance became the vice presidential nominee, as Vance began to feel guilty about the toll the position would take on his young family. A father to two young children himself, Kirk "was constantly calling and texting [Vance], checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers."

Vance fondly told of a group chat that he and Kirk were in: "We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other's chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he'd always have their backs."

It was one of those group chats that first alerted the vice president to Wednesday's shooting on the campus of Utah Valley University. Vance, who was in a meeting in the West Wing of the White House at the time, recalled his phone blowing up with people sending their prayers and good wishes to Kirk. Vance tweeted: "I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in. God didn't answer those prayers, and that's OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I'll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly."

The vice president will reportedly not hold any official events while in Utah with the Kirk family.

Here's the entire text of the vice president's tweet; it's worth the read.

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.
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."
Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. "Like his dad, he's misunderstood. He's extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength." Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too.
Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I'd go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man.
When I became the VP nominee--something Charlie advocated for both in public and private--Charlie was there for me. I was so glad to be part of the president's team, but candidly surprised by the effect it had on our family. 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. And Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. Some of our most successful events were organized not by the campaign, but by TPUSA. He wasn't just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists. And after every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do. "You focus on Wisconsin," he'd tell me. "Arizona is in the bag." And it was.
Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.
Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he'd encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.
Charlie had an uncanny ability to know when to push the envelope and when to be more conventional. I've seen people attack him for years for being wrong on this or that issue publicly, never realizing that privately he was working to broaden the scope of acceptable debate.
He was a great family man. I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, "I know he was a very good friend of yours." I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family. The president was right. Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father. And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family.
Charlie 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. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he'd always have their backs. And because he was a true friend ,you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. 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.
I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that's how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in.
God didn't answer those prayers, and that's OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I'll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly.
You ran a good race, my friend.
We've got it from here.