JD Vance opens up about the death of Charlie Kirk, calling it an 'irreplaceable loss'

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: At Turning Point USA’s AMFEST event, Vice President JD Vance shared a deeply personal account of grief following the death of his close friend and the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk.

Kirk died on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University during a campus event after being shot. Tyler Robinson, has been accused in connection with the incident and is facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault.

JD Vance opens up about the loss of Charlie Kirk

Vance revealed, "I haven't talked about this publicly before, but in the days after Charlie's death, I struggled a great deal. I remember watching every video of the assassination, looking for clues, trying to understand what happened."

Reflecting on his grief, he added, "I tried to hide from the memory of my friend and that terrible bullet hitting him, but I stayed up all night for many nights in a row, researching every conspiracy theory, going down every rabbit hole."

Explaining his relentless determination to honor his friend, Vance said, "When my lovely wife Usha told me to come to bed, I told her I owed it to Charlie to try to uncover every stone, and that's what I tried to do."

He continued, "I remember I was consumed by this fear that Charlie's death wouldn't just deprive a family of their husband or a good father, but that it would deny our movement a great unifier of people and a doer of great deeds."

Vance also shared his wife’s concern, saying, "It's the only time I can remember my wife ever telling me she was really worried about me. She told me many times, but what saved me was not lying to myself and accepting the reality of the fight that we're in."

Acknowledging the harsh reality, he said, "Charlie's death was an immense loss, an irreplaceable loss. We got kicked in the teeth, my friends, and there's no sugarcoating it or pretending that it didn't happen."

Reflecting on finding hope amid loss, he added, "We need to accept that, and what saved me was realizing that the story of the Christian faith, like the story of these United States of America, is one of immense loss followed by even bigger victory."

Erika Kirk backs JD Vance for 2028

Ties between the White House and Turning Point USA have strengthened since Kirk’s assassination.

Erika Kirk kicked off AMFEST on Thursday by endorsing Vance’s potential presidential bid for 2028. She said, "We’re going to ensure that President Trump has Congress for all four years, and we’re going to get my husband’s friend, JD Vance, elected as 48 in the most resounding way possible."

Kirk had also supported Vance as the Republican nominee before his death. Vance has not confirmed whether he will run for president in 2028, stating that his focus remains on winning the 2026 midterm elections.