Usha Vance's Vulnerable Moment With Erika Kirk Was More Impactful Than We Realized

After Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while debating students at Utah Valley University, on September 10, 2025, his wife, Erika Kirk, received an outpouring of love and support from both sides of the aisle. While politicians and supporters of Charlie offered their thoughts and prayers, the second family stepped in to actively aid her through this heartbreaking time on a more personal level. In fact, Usha Vance showed her rarely-seen soft side in a vulnerable moment with Charlie's wife. 

While the former Miss Arizona tearfully watched her husband's casket being loaded onto Air Force Two on September 11, Usha tightly clasped her hand and held onto her shoulder to remind Erika that she wasn't alone. The second lady was also seen offering Erika similar support in other photos from the day, hugging her and holding her hand as she deboarded the plane. However, it wasn't until Charlie's memorial service that we learned just how much Usha's support truly meant to Erika. 

🚨WATCH: Erika Kirk recounts the words of comfort Usha Vance shared with her the day after her husband Charlie was killed.

"Usha, I don't think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear." pic.twitter.com/6buZtljGGL

— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) September 21, 2025

In her speech at the event, which was held on September 21 in Charlie's home state of Arizona, Erika recalled, "I held her hand and I told her honestly, I do not know how I am going to get through this." However, Usha urged her to think back to all the times that she had been on a flight with her children that had devolved into chaos in the last 15 minutes. Usha reminded Erika, "You will get through these 15 minutes and the next 15 minutes after that." Reflecting on that advice, Erika said, "Usha, I don't think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear."

Erika Kirk extended her gratitude to the second family in her first public address following Charlie Kirk's death too. "I want to thank my husband's dear friend, Vice President Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support," she sweetly intoned during the September 12 speech (via YouTube). "You guys honored my husband so well, bringing him home. You both are tremendous." Notably, JD Vance shared a close friendship with Charlie Kirk, and the Trump staffer helped servicemen carrying his casket onto Air Force Two. 

In another photo shared to Erika's Instagram, we witnessed the vice president's rarely-seen tender side as he gave her a warm embrace to offer his support. The former Ohio senator also extended his condolences to Erika in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Naturally, JD additionally paid tribute to his late friend through a lengthy post on X. In it, Donald Trump's second-in-command looked back fondly on how their friendship blossomed when Charlie reached out to him in 2017 after watching JD's Tucker Carlson interview.

In the following years, he became a trusted adviser of the bestselling "Hillbilly Elegy" author and even helped JD forge crucial connections in politics. Unsurprisingly, the veep further cemented his support for Erika in his own speech at Charlie's memorial service, reassuring her, "Erika, I know I speak for this entire auditorium when I say that we love you and we will never stop standing by your side just as Charlie did," (via YouTube). 

Shortly after Charlie Kirk's shocking murder, Erika Kirk took to Instagram to share a video of her crying as she looked at her husband lying in his casket, repeatedly telling him that she loved him. In her memorial speech, Erika shared her reaction to seeing her husband's body, acknowledging, "I felt shock. I felt horror and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed," (via YouTube). While Erika dealt with the tremendous weight of her grief, she also had to look after the two young children she shared with Charlie. 

In her first speech following her husband's death, the former Miss Arizona disclosed how the couple's 3-year-old daughter inquired about the whereabouts of her father upon her mom's return home alone. Erika didn't know how to break the heartbreaking truth to her, so she could only promise her, "Baby, Daddy loves you so much. Don't you worry. He's on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget," (via YouTube). Likewise, even Erika's last Instagram post with Charlie was so tragic after his passing. 

In a carousel posted earlier in September, Erika reminisced about being in the hospital delivering their second baby in 2024, sharing a video of Charlie thanking her for bringing a memory foam cot for his comfort. Later, Erika revealed one of Charlie's last photos in an emotional Instagram post about their early romance. Tragically, in the photo, which she took herself, Charlie was dressed in the same clothing he wore at the time of the shooting.