The US vice president JD Vance announced that he will host ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ from the White House on Monday to pay tribute to his slain friend.The show is scheduled to air at noon, less than a week after Kirk was assassinated during a college campus visit in Utah.Vance and Kirk had been close friends for many years, long before Vance entered politics. In a letter to Kirk shared after his death at Utah Valley University, Vance reflected on their time together.He noted that Kirk was one of the first people he contacted when he decided to run for the US Senate in 2021 and that Kirk helped connect him with others who could support his campaign, including Donald Trump Jr.Vance described Kirk as one of his most dedicated advocates over the years, who even helped guide the selection process that ultimately led to Vance becoming vice-president.The vice president said he first learned about Kirk being shot through group messages with friends and government officials while in a meeting in the West Wing.“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,” Vance wrote.Vance had also accompanied Kirk’s body during transport from Utah to his home state of Arizona. Images from the flight show Kirk’s wife, Erika, dressed in black and holding their two young children, walking hand-in-hand with second lady Usha Vance. The vice president and uniformed service members helped carry the flag-draped casket onto the plane.Earlier, on Wednesday, Vance paid tribute to Kirk on social media, calling him “a true friend” and a major influence in his rise in national politics. Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot at Utah Valley University, helped shape Vance’s path from a MAGA outsider to the vice presidency.“Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind,” Vance wrote. “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.”Vance said Kirk was crucial to his 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio, assisting with strategy, fundraising, and grassroots connections. “He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr., who took a call from me because Charlie asked,” he wrote.Kirk’s children also remained deeply involved with Vance’s family and they often spent time together.“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,” Vance said.
