Vice President JD Vance honored the memory of Charlie Kirk on Thursday, marking one year since the conservative activist was fatally shot during a campus appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA d from a sniper’s bullet to the neck on September 10, 2025, in front of horrified students.
Speaking on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Vance revealed that Erika Kirk’s words to him immediately after the ing inspired him and the second lady to have a fourth child this year. He recalled first meeting Kirk in 2018 or 2019 at Fox News studios, quickly recognizing a kindred spirit who believed political parties should “make people’s lives better” rather than serve abstractions.
“It was like my mom, my sister, my dog, and then Charlie Kirk was I think the fourth person to support me,” Vance joked about his 2022 Ohio Senate campaign. Kirk also inspired him to speak more openly about his Christian faith.
The anniversary remains contentious at Utah Valley University, which canceled classes Thursday to allow for reflection. While Turning Point USA hosted a memorial at the UCCU Center, some student groups planned protests, with critics noting the trauma associated with Kirk’s image on campus. At Turning Point’s Phoenix headquarters, Kirk’s empty chair on his show’s set remains untouched, while his children, now ages 4 and 2, still visit regularly as their mother Erika works from her late husband’s office.
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