Vice President JD Vance reveals effects Charlie Kirk’s death had on him at AmericaFest

PHOENIX — Vice President JD Vance spoke publicly on Sunday for the first time at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest about how the death of his friend and the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, affected him.

“In the days after Charlie’s death I struggled a great deal,” Vance told the audience in the Phoenix Convention Center. “I remember watching every video of the assassination looking for clues trying to understand what happened.”

Vance added that Kirk’s death kept him up for nights on end.

“(I was) researching every conspiracy theory, going down every rabbit hole,” Vance said. “When my lovely wife Usha told me to come to bed, I told her I owed it to Charlie to try to uncover every stone and so that’s what I tried to do.”

JD Vance worried about the impact Charlie Kirk’s death would have

The vice president stated that he was consumed with fear that Kirk’s death wouldn’t just leave his family without a father and husband, but it would also deny the conservative movement of a unifier and “a great doer of great deeds.”

“It’s the only time I can remember my wife ever telling me that she was really worried about me. She told me it many times,” Vance said.

Vance explained that what liberated him was accepting the reality of what happened and where it left the movement.

“What saved me was realizing that the story of the Christian faith, like the story of these United States of America, is one of immense loss followed by even bigger victory,” Vance said. “It’s a story of very dark nights followed by very bright dawns. What saved me was remembering the inherent goodness of God and that his grace overflows when we least expect it.”

Vance called on AmericaFest audience to honor Kirk’s legacy

Vance was the final speaker at the 2025 AmericaFest convention and toward the beginning of his address shared with attendees the way he thought they could best honor Kirk and his legacy.

“(That) is that none of us here should be doing something after Charlie’s death that he himself refused to do in life,” Vance said. “Charlie invited all of us here for a reason because he believed that each of us, all of us, had something worth saying and he trusted all of you to make your own judgment.”

The vice president added that there were more important things to focus on instead of canceling each other, such as building a better country. He noted that is done by adding and growing, not by tearing down.

“Charlie Kirk was a great builder, too. He understood that any family can have its disagreement, its tough conversations. We can learn and improve and treat one another better. We can love each other despite the disagreement,” Vance said.

“But winning demands teamwork. And I’m honored to be on Turning Point’s team. I’m honored to be on your team and I will stay that way.”

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