Earlier this year—back during all the tariff craziness—I wrote a piece about starting the Scott Bessent Appreciation Society. The secretary of the Treasury had impressed me and many others with his quiet confidence in dealing with the fallout of President Trump evening out the playing field when it came to matters of international trade. Bessent was a constant presence in the media at the time (and still is), and was an effective mouthpiece for the administration that helped calm some jitters caused by the tariffs.
Well, there's another player in Trump world that needs their own fan club: Second Lady Usha Vance. Like Bessent, she exudes a quiet confidence, whether it's standing by her husband at official events or launching her own initiatives, such as a reading challenge this past summer. She's the kind of political spouse who seems more than happy to work quietly in the background while others take center stage.
It's been the last five weeks, however, that have really shown the measure of the woman. The day after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Vice President and Mrs. Vance cancelled their plans to be in New York City for the 9/11 commemorations and flew to Utah to be with Charlie's family; Air Force Two was then used to transport Charlie home to Arizona for the final time.
READ MORE: Watch: Special Moment Over the ATC System As Charlie Kirk and Air Force Two Arrive in Arizona
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When Air Force Two touched down in Arizona that sad and solemn day, Usha Vance was seen gently guiding Erika Kirk down the airplane stairs to begin what has to be the unbearable task of grieving her husband and finding a new normal for her family.
JUST IN: Erika Kirk and Usha Vance hold hands as they step off Air Force Two with Charlie Kirk’s casket arriving in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/SR4adhSbe1
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 12, 2025
I don't know what kind of relationship Usha Vance and Erika Kirk had before Charlie's death—their husbands were close, so they probably had met before—but, on that day, Usha became Erika's rock. And Erika needed a rock. Megyn Kelly said at the time that Usha Vance was "the perfect person" to comfort Erika Kirk that day. "She's so smart, she's such an empathetic person," Kelly remarked while watching a video of the two women exiting Air Force Two. Kelly continued, "She's totally beautiful in the truest sense of that word."
The Second Lady literally held up Erika Kirk as Charlie's casket was moved from the plane to a waiting hearse.
Cincinnati's JD and Usha Vance comforting Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk.https://t.co/L9JAgbPKpX pic.twitter.com/zzZvHi3Yfm
— Northern Kentucky News (@NKYNewsNetwork) September 13, 2025
It's a moment conservatives won't soon forget.
When Erika agonized that day over what to tell her young children about Charlie's death, Mrs. Vance's advice was simple, actionable, and relatable: she told Erika to think of it like the last 15 minutes of a chaotic airplane flight — when everyone’s tired, the kids are screaming, and all you can do is get through the next 15 minutes, then the next 15 after that. At Charlie's memorial service, Erika Kirk said of the advice, “Usha, I don’t think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear.”
And there Usha Vance was again Tuesday, standing beside Erika Kirk as she accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Charlie on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Clearly a deep bond has grown between the two women.
After the Medal of Freedom ceremony honoring @charliekirk11, President Trump and Vice President Vance stood with Erika as Amazing Grace played ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dWv9d4Z3WV
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 14, 2025
Usha Vance is, of course, a force in her own right and not merely your average political spouse. She's an accomplished lawyer who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts and now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mrs. Vance has the chops to make a go at her own political career, but that she chooses to quietly play out her role as Second Lady says a lot about her character. It's not all about her, and that's a personality trait hard to come by in Washington, D.C.
Now, I'm probably getting way ahead of myself by saying this, but if JD Vance does one day make the move from the Naval Observatory to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, our country will be in safe hands. And not just because Vance is proving himself to be a skilled political player, but because his wife would complete the package with grace, intelligence, and quiet strength.
