‘He was a very good friend’: JD Vance ditches 9/11 memorial to comfort Charlie Kirk’s family

In a marked departure from established tradition, Vice President JD Vance has forgone the annual September 11th memorial ceremony in New York City to travel to Utah and offer condolences to the family of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed the day before. Vance, who was scheduled to attend the commemoration at Ground Zero, will now be accompanied by Second Lady Usha Vance on the trip to Salt Lake City, according to a source familiar with the vice president’s plans.

According to The Washington Post, the relationship between the two men began in 2017 when Kirk, after watching Vance on a Fox News show, sent him a direct message on social media. This initial contact blossomed into a friendship that lasted until Kirk’s death on Wednesday. Vance has publicly spoken about their bond, recalling how Kirk “was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers” after Vance was chosen as the vice-presidential nominee.

Vance has also credited Kirk with playing a significant role in his political life. He stated that Kirk was instrumental in introducing him to key figures within the conservative movement, including Donald Trump Jr. and many of the people who would go on to run Vance’s successful Senate campaign. He even went so far as to say that “so much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene.”

Vance and Kirk were closer than you’d think

The decision by Vance to miss the 9/11 ceremony is a notable event in presidential and vice-presidential history. While the presence of a president or vice president at a 9/11 commemoration is a strong tradition, it is not without precedent for them to miss the Ground Zero event. For instance, in 2019, neither then-President Donald Trump nor then-Vice President Mike Pence attended the New York City ceremony. Trump spoke at the Pentagon, while Pence visited Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

President Donald Trump’s schedule, unlike his vice president’s, remains unchanged. He is still slated to attend a memorial event at the Pentagon before traveling to the Bronx to attend a New York Yankees game. The 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City is a somber and traditional event, featuring moments of silence and the reading of the names of the 2,983 victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Historically, the president and vice president attend ceremonies at different sites, with one typically visiting Ground Zero and the other attending events at the Pentagon or Shanksville. The decision for Vance to completely skip a 9/11 ceremony to mourn with a friend’s family, however, has drawn attention to the close nature of his friendship with the late conservative activist.

Vance, in a tribute on social media, referred to Kirk as a “true friend” and said, “I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, ‘I know he was a very good friend of yours.’ I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family.”