Inside JD Vance And Charlie Kirk's Close Friendship

In the wake of the jarring loss of controversial conservative mouthpiece Charlie Kirk, many of his former friends and allies have begun to eulogize him online. President Donald Trump even shared a rare insight into how Barron Trump was taking the news, indicating the influence Kirk had within the MAGA sphere. Another major player taking the news rather hard is Vice President JD Vance, who wrote a long post on X, formerly Twitter, about just how much Kirk touched his life.

Vance first met Kirk via direct message, when the Turning Point USA founder and CEO reached out to Vance after he appeared on Tucker Carlson's show. "That moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today," Vance said of Kirk's decision to slide into his DMs. Teaming up together would prove to be a match made in MAGA heaven, with Kirk's political savvy and strategy helping Vance get to where he is today.

Though Vance's relationship with the president has had its ups and downs, his alliance with Kirk possibly helped him get to the White House. Vance claims that Kirk helped him with his bid for Ohio senate in 2021, helping with "the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement," as well as introducing him to Donald Trump Jr. It was meeting Don Jr. that helped Vance get on Donald's radar, but this wasn't the only kindness Kirk had for Vance.

Charlie Kirk had a nose for political strategy and could be behind Barron Trump's insistence that his father Donald Trump appear on popular right-leaning podcasts, which ultimately helped deliver a large chunk of the vote in 2024. When JD Vance connected with Kirk, he gained unique access to a type of savvy marketing that would help him win several elections. Not only had Kirk assembled a winning team, but he campaigned alongside Vance in the final stretches of his 2022 Ohio senate race. When Vance won, he thanked Kirk and his advisers in his acceptance speech (via C-SPAN). In his post on X, Vance also explained, "He didn't just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government."

Perhaps it was his dedication to the current administration, or even the fact that Kirk knew Vance before he was famous, but the death has clearly rocked the vice president. According to NBC News, Vance cancelled his appearance at a 9/11 memorial ceremony to help transport Kirk's casket to Arizona. Making it a family affair, JD and wife Usha Vance and their children flew with Erika Frantzve Kirk, Charlie's widow, on Air Force Two to personally escort her back home. "You ran a good race, my friend. We've got it from here," ends Vance's eulogy-like post.