Vice President JD Vance was expected to stand alongside fellow Trump administration officials at Ground Zero this week to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Instead, Vance skipped the New York City ceremony to be in Salt Lake City—honoring someone he says was instrumental in shaping the current administration: Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA and a towering figure in the MAGA movement, was shot and killed Wednesday during a stop on his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University. His death sent shockwaves through conservative circles, and Vance, who called Kirk a “true friend,” immediately changed his plans to be with the activist’s family.
“Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance wrote in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter). “And because he was a true friend‚ you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to.”
Vance added, “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.”
His absence from the 9/11 remembrance event didn’t go unnoticed.
While Vance was en route to Utah with second lady Usha Vance, several Trump officials—including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—attended the NYC ceremony to commemorate the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 2001 terror attacks. President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the Pentagon before heading north to attend a Yankees game in the Bronx.
Back in Salt Lake City, the investigation into Kirk’s killing is ongoing. The gunman who opened fire during Kirk’s event is still at large. Two individuals were detained in the immediate aftermath but were released after authorities determined they had “no current ties” to the shooting. Surveillance footage from the scene, now circulating widely, shows a person on the roof circled in yellow—raising more questions than answers about what really happened.
Vance’s decision to prioritize Kirk’s memorial over the nation’s most solemn day of remembrance was personal—but undeniably political, too. Kirk wasn’t just a friend; he was a key architect behind the MAGA youth movement, someone whose influence extended far beyond college campuses.
“He had an uncanny ability to know when to push the envelope and when to be more conventional,” Vance wrote. “I’ve seen people attack him for years for being wrong on this or that issue publicly, never realizing that privately he was working to broaden the scope of acceptable debate.”
In January, Vance and Kirk they onstage together at the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball in Washington, D.C., celebrating Trump’s second term. It was a full-circle moment for Kirk, whose brand of campus conservatism had matured into one of the most potent organizing forces in the Republican Party.
