VP Vance Hosts Kirk Show Tribute: 'Filling in for Somebody That Cannot Be Filled in For'

Vice President JD Vance sat in Monday as guest host of "The Charlie Kirk Show" to honor his late friend, vowing to carry forward the mission and legacy of the conservative leader.

"Filling in for somebody that cannot be filled in for," as Vance aptly put it.

Vance also vowed to bring Kirk's killer to justice.

"We have to bring this killer to justice," Vance said, calling out the spate of left-wing political violence live from his vice presidential office before about 246,000 live viewers on Rumble, joking he wanted to be like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and add an extra job to his duties.

Kirk, 31 and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by a rooftop gunman on Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem. The suspect is in custody after being turned in by his father, but is not cooperating with investigators, according to Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox.

"There's a lot of questions about the investigation, where we are in the investigation," Vance said. "I want to be respectful to the FBI process, but just know that we are on top of this, and the entire administration is trying to do as much as possible to find everything that we can about what led to this."

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"We are going to go after the NGO [nongovernmental organizations] network that is promoting violence in this country," he added. "We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years and is part of the reason I believe Charlie was killed by an assassin's bullet."

"He made you believe more in yourself," White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Vance's first guest, said in his emotional tribute. "He made all of us better every single day.

"I just love the man so much."

Miller blamed a "vast domestic terror movement," vowing the White House will use Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security resources to "identify, disrupt dismantle, and destroy" domestic terrorist networks in America.

"The organizing doxing campaign, the organized riots, the organized street violence, the organized campaigns of dehumanization vilification, posting people's addresses, [and] combining that with messaging that's designed to trigger inside violence and the actual organized cells that carry out and solicit the violence," he added. "It is a vast domestic terror movement.

"And with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identity, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks and make America safe again. It will happen, and we'll do it in Charlie's name."

Vance opened his monologue at 12:06 p.m. ET.

"So I wanted to use this show today to advocate for Charlie, to talk about him, to talk about what kind of a guy he was, talk about what kind of a man he was, what kind of a husband and father he was.

"And to take people, most of them from inside the administration, but some of them from without, who knew Charlie best. And to talk about what he meant, what he meant to them, what he meant to this administration and what he meant to the conservative movement."

"The best way I can honor my true friend is to be the best husband I can be," he added.

Vance's connection to Charlie Kirk was both political and deeply personal since becoming friends in 2017.

"[Kirk] was a joyful warrior for our country," Vance said. "He loved America. He devoted himself tirelessly to making our country a better place.

"He was a critical part of getting Donald Trump elected as president, getting me elected as vice president — and so much of our success over the last seven months."

Over the years, Charlie Kirk encouraged Vance's rise in the conservative movement. He introduced him to key donors, campaign strategists, and even Donald Trump Jr., helping build the network behind Vance's Senate run and later his vice presidential campaign.

Vance reacted immediately to the conservative leader's assassination. He canceled previous commitments, including participation in the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York, to travel with his wife, second lady Usha Vance, to Utah to meet with Charlie Kirk's family and accompany Charlie Kirk on his solemn flight aboard Air Force Two.

Vance helped carry the casket with military personnel, an image that has already become a powerful symbol for many.

"I want to thank my husband's dear friend, Vice President Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support," widow Erika Kirk said in a Friday night address that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 streaming platform.

The emotional but defiant and resolute widow vowed to keep Turning Point USA, the conservative student action group founded by her late husband, going.

"The evildoers responsible for my husband's assassination have no idea what they have done," she said in her address. "They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God's merciful love.

"They should all know this: If you thought that my husband's mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world.

"You have no idea. You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry."

Charlie Kirk's movement will become stronger than ever, she vowed.

"To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die," she continued. "It won't. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die. All of us will refuse to let that happen.

"No one will ever forget my husband's name, and I will make sure of it. It will become stronger, bolder, louder, and greater than ever. My husband's mission will not end. Not even for a moment."

In a lengthy X post, Vance described Charlie Kirk as "a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him."

"Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ," Vance wrote. "He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him.

"Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he'd encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas."

TPUSA posted a vow to keep his legacy alive with a message on its website: "THE FIGHT CONTINUES":

"Charlie Kirk poured his life into building a movement rooted in faith, freedom, and love of country. He believed America's future depended on raising up a generation who would NEVER SURRENDER.

"That vision is alive and stronger than ever. Prayers are rising, support is pouring in, millions of students are rallying, volunteers are flooding in, and vigils are filling churches and schools across the nation. The fire Charlie lit is burning brighter than ever.

"Now the responsibility is ours. We will honor his legacy by pressing forward — not slowing down, not surrendering. This is not a time to preserve what was built. This is the time to fight harder, grow faster, and unleash the true power of the grassroots machine Charlie created.

"We will make Charlie proud. We will defend America’s future. And we will not stop until freedom prevails."

In his opening monologue, Vance brought forward conservative values and the American family.

"I'm a husband; I'm proud of being a husband; I think that on the great balance of things, that I'm a pretty good husband, but I can never say that I was never unpleasant with my wife; I can never say that I've never raised my voice to my wife," Vance said, noting Charlie Kirk's widow said the opposite for her late husband.

"Like most husbands, even the good ones were sometimes imperfect, and I took for that moment that I needed to be a better husband, and I needed to be a better father because of all these moments that I shared just in the last few days, the books that I've read to my kids going up to their bedroom and kissing them and hugging them before bed, I just realized that all of these moments that I get to have, Charlie is not able to have them anymore.

"Charlie's kids and his beautiful wife are not able to have them anymore.

"And maybe the best way that I can contribute and the best way that I can honor, my dear friend, is to be the best husband that I can be, to be the kind of husband to my wife, that he was to his."