Vance still tries to call Charlie Kirk for advice, then remembers the devastating truth

WASHINGTON, DC: A year after Charlie Kirk was killed, Vice President JD Vance, on Thursday, September 10, said that the absence of his close friend still catches him in ordinary moments.

Sometimes, he said, he reaches for his phone wanting Kirk’s advice on something, starts dialing his number and then stops himself.

The realization that follows is still painful: the person he wants to call is no longer there.

JD Vance remembers his friend Charlie Kirk

Vance, while speaking to 'The Charlie Kirk Show', described the habit while reflecting on Kirk’s death and the friendship they shared.

“I just really wish I could call Charlie and get his advice on this or get his help on this,” Vance said.

What makes the moment particularly painful, he explained, is how grief changes with time.

“You slowly over time realize that first it's you pick up the phone, and you dial his number, and hang up before he answers,” Vance said. “The closer you get to this year mark, you realize he's just not there anymore.”

Vance also spoke openly about the anger that has accompanied his grief. “I’m pissed off that Charlie’s dead,” he said.

That anger, he said, has even entered his conversations with God.

“Sometimes I find myself talking to God and saying, ‘Why the hell did you do this? Why the hell did you leave this big gap for all of us?’” Vance said.

Yet he said his anger has not erased his belief that Kirk’s life still carries a purpose.

“But I also remember, as pissed off as I still am, as heartbroken as I still am, there is very much a purpose to this,” Vance said.

Vance also focused on what he considered Kirk’s most important lesson: the value of investing in family and the people closest to you.

Charlie Kirk's shocking killing

Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.

Prosecutors allege that Tyler Robinson, now 23, fired a single rifle round from a rooftop toward Kirk while more than 3,000 people were attending the event. Kirk was struck and killed.

Robinson surrendered to authorities the following day and was later charged with seven counts, including aggravated killing. Prosecutors have sought the death penalty.

The case cleared a major hurdle on September 1, when Judge Tony Graf ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for Robinson to stand trial on all seven charges.

Robinson pleaded not guilty. The ruling was not a finding of guilt; he remains presumed innocent.

The prosecution has pointed to surveillance footage, DNA evidence allegedly linking Robinson to the rifle, messages prosecutors say indicate an intent to kill Kirk and other evidence presented during the preliminary proceedings.

The case has not yet reached trial. A pretrial conference is scheduled for October 23, when the court is expected to address scheduling and potentially set a trial date.