Vice President JD Vance departs Salt Lake City, taking Charlie Kirk's body home to Arizona
by Bridger Beal-Cvetko kslcom · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Vice President JD Vance escorted Charlie Kirk's body from Salt Lake City to Kirk's home state of Arizona Thursday.
- Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday; Vance shared a heartfelt tribute calling Kirk a true friend.
- President Donald Trump plans to award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
SALT LAKE CITY — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance departed Salt Lake City Thursday afternoon to escort Charlie Kirk's remains to his home near Phoenix after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Air Force Two landed at the Utah National Guard's Roland R. Wright Air Base in Salt Lake City at about 2:23 p.m. on Thursday after departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Vance stayed at the base for just over two hours and met privately with Kirk's family. The plane parked out of sight of reporters and several Utahns who gathered along the airport's perimeter to watch the arrival and departure of Air Force Two.
The plane departed with Kirk's casket on board just before 4:30 p.m.
In a long post on social media, the vice president described a yearslong friendship with Kirk that began in 2017 and said he first began receiving text messages from people saying they were praying for Kirk after news that he had been shot.
"I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in," Vance wrote. "God didn't answer those prayers, and that's OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I'll ask him to talk to (the) big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends and the country he loved so dearly. You ran a good race, my friend. We've got it from here."
Vance described Kirk as "a true friend" and "the kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him."
Vance's trip to Salt Lake City comes in lieu of a previously planned visit to Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice to Airmen restricting pilots from operating aircraft below 5,000 feet above the surface within a 5-mile radius near the Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday afternoon "for VIP movement."
Speaking at the Pentagon on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he plans to posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, according to the New York Times. The president said he will hold a ceremony in the coming days and predicts there will be a "very big crowd" on hand.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican and close friend of Kirk, introduced a Senate resolution to condemn the assassination and honor Kirk's legacy.
The resolution describes Kirk as "a devoted husband, father and Christian," and resolves that the Senate "condemns the assassination of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms; extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to Charlie Kirk's family, including his wife, Erika, and their two young children; and honors Charlie Kirk's commitment to the constitutional principles of civil discussion and debate between all people of the United States, regardless of political affiliation."
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Charlie Kirk killingUtahPoliticsU.S.Police & Courts
Bridger Beal-Cvetko
Bridger Beal-Cvetko is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers politics, Salt Lake County communities and breaking news. Bridger has worked for the Deseret News and graduated from Utah Valley University.