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Vice President JD Vance helped load Charlie Kirk’s casket onto the vice presidential aircraft Air Force Two on Thursday, just one day after Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University.
Vance helped carry the casket from the hearse to the aircraft after flying to Salt Lake City to retrieve the late Turning Point USA founder’s body.
According to officials, Air Force Two will fly Kirk’s body from Salt Lake City, Utah to Phoenix, Arizona, where Kirk will be laid to rest.
In a eulogy following Kirk’s murder on Wednesday, Vance recalled the first time he came into contact with Kirk back in 2017.
“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,” wrote Vance. “And that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today.”
He continued:
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.
Kirk’s funeral is expected to take place as soon as next weekend, with President Donald Trump set to be in attendance.
