Vice President J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance will be traveling to Salt Lake City on Thursday to pay their respects to the family of Charlie Kirk.
The second family was originally scheduled to be in New York City for the ceremony commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but will instead fly to Utah, a source said.
Mr. Kirk was killed Wednesday while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
Mr. Vance and Mr. Kirk were friends, which the vice president said started after the young activist praised him on Twitter after he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show in 2017.
“It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today,” Mr. Vance wrote in a lengthy eulogy posted on X late Wednesday.
“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,” he wrote.
The vice president said Mr. Kirk introduced him to Donald Trump Jr. and was one of the first people he called when he considered running for the Senate in early 2021. Mr. Kirk led him to speak with donors from his conservative organization, Turning Point USA, and gave him feedback on his remarks.
“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,” he wrote.
