Conservative activist Charlie Kirk (left) interviews Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during a campaign stop at Generation Church Mesa Campus on Sept. 4, 2024.

WASHINGTON ‒ Vice President JD Vance will fly Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk's casket and family to Phoenix on Air Force Two, according to a source familiar with Vance’s plans.

Vance and his wife, Usha, are expected to meet with Kirk's family and close friends in Salt Lake City on Sept. 11 before the flight to Arizona, where Kirk lived with his wife, Erika, and their two children. Turning Point USA is headquartered in Phoenix.The vice president canceled his previous plans to visit New York City to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to pay his respects to Kirk's family in Utah.

Vance was a close friend of the charismatic conservative activist Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. A manhunt for the suspect is still active.

President Donald Trump’s schedule on Sept. 11 remains unchanged. He still plans to attend a 9/11 observance event at the Pentagon in the morning and travel to New York City in the afternoon to attend a New York Yankees-Detroit Tigers baseball game at Yankee Stadium.

Vance calls Kirk a 'true friend' in tribute to youth activist

Vance posted a long tribute to Kirk, 31, on his personal X account late on Sept. 10. He said he developed a relationship with the youth leader after seeing him on Tucker Carlson's television show and sent him a direct message.

The relationship that began around 2017 grew into a close friendship as the former Trump skeptics bonded over politics. Kirk would go on to introduce the "Hillbilly Elegy" author to Trump's eldest son, Don Jr., and other MAGA power players who would help Vance win his Ohio Senate race.

"Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks," Vance wrote. "He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man."

Kirk waged a campaign in 2024 to convince Trump to put Vance on the GOP ticket as his running mate. The public attention that came with the nomination and constant security presence was difficult for Vance's three children, the VP said in his post. He leaned on Kirk as a confidante.

"Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers," Vance said. "He wasn't just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists."

In the statement, Vance said that Kirk "exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas" and worked "to broaden the scope of acceptable debate" in America.

He said the father of two was also a "great family man" and "a true friend" who was instrumental in getting Trump reelected and staffing the federal government.

"You ran a good race, my friend," Vance wrote. "We've got it from here."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance to fly Charlie Kirk’s casket, family to Arizona after paying respects in Utah

Reporting by Francesca Chambers and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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