Charlie Kirk, killed at 31 on a Utah college campus, helped make JD Vance vice president.
Vance made that claim publicly on September 13th, 2025, just three days after Kirk was shot and killed by a gunman while speaking with students at a Utah college. Kirk, a conservative podcaster and political figure, was 31 years old and a father of two.
In a lengthy social media post, Vance described Kirk as someone who believed in him personally and used his connections to help push Vance toward the role he now holds under President Donald Trump. The tribute was detailed, personal, and direct.
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Vance wrote that Kirk shared a similar political journey to his own. Both men were skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Both eventually came to view Trump as the only political figure capable of steering American politics away from what Vance called the globalism that had shaped their entire lives.
As originally reported, Vance praised Kirk’s intellectual honesty and willingness to evolve his thinking based on new information. He described Kirk as someone who genuinely loved ideas and was never too proud to change his mind when the facts warranted it.
Vance also highlighted what he called Kirk’s generosity of spirit. When Kirk was right, Vance wrote, he never rubbed it in. And when others turned out to be correct, Kirk listened and learned rather than dug in. Vance quoted what he said was Kirk’s essential attitude toward people who came around to his way of thinking: not “I told you so,” but simply “welcome.”
The post painted a picture of a friendship grounded in shared convictions and mutual respect, not just political alliance. Vance credited Kirk’s personal belief in him as a meaningful factor in his ascent to the second-highest office in the country.
Kirk’s death sent shockwaves through conservative circles. He had built a massive platform through Turning Point USA, the organization he founded, and had become one of the most recognizable voices in right-leaning media and activism. He was deeply embedded in the political networks that shaped the Trump movement.
Vance, now serving as vice president, used the post to honor both the man and the friendship. His words suggested that Kirk’s impact was not just ideological but deeply personal, and that the political trajectory Vance now occupies was shaped, at least in part, by Kirk’s early and consistent support.
