Vice President JD Vance led the military honor guard escorting Charlie Kirk’s casket after flying it aboard Air Force Two.
Video of the heart-wrenching moment showed Vance escorting the coffin on the tarmac:
Charlie Kirk, 31, was gunned down while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and two children. President Trump honored him upon learning of his death.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Vice President JD Vance likewise said Charlie Kirk died doing what he loved: “discussing ideas.” JD Vance said:
Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he’d encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.
Democrat leaders have roundly condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk as senseless political violence.
“Let me be clear: even if you disagree with someone’s beliefs, even if you stand against every single thing they stand for, the path of disagreement must never lead to what happened today at Utah Valley University,” said Democrat National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin.
“Political violence — in all of its forms — is unacceptable in America. Yet, as I said when my dear friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were murdered earlier this summer, such violence has become commonplace. Every single political leader, Democrat and Republican alike, must loudly condemn this violence. We must work harder to bring this country together, not divide it,” he added.
