JD Vance hosts “The Charlie Kirk Show” from the White House

JD Vance has hosted The Charlie Kirk Show in memory of the conservative activist who was murdered last Wednesday. In a Sunday post on X, Vance said he would have “the honour of hosting The Charlie Kirk Show” to “pay tribute to my friend.”

Vance and Kirk are understood to have been personal friends for several years, with Kirk having supported Vance’s political ambitions by backing his bid for Senate in 2022 and publicly advocating for him to be chosen as Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election.

After Kirk’s assassination on 10 September, Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, escorted Kirk’s body aboard Air Force Two as it was taken from Utah to Arizona, Kirk’s home state.

Speaking from the White House, Vance — a convert to Catholicism and father of three — described Kirk as a “joyful warrior for our country.”

The programme also featured Vance speaking with senior White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Citing the ideology that led to Kirk’s death, Vance said the White House is working to stop “the festering violence from the far left from spreading.” He went further, stating that “the data is clear: people on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence,” adding that “this is not a both-sides problem.”

The days following Kirk’s assassination have prompted high-profile questions over the extent to which freedom of speech permits disrespectful commentary about the recently deceased. Vance told viewers: “When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out. Hell, call their employer. We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility — and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.”

Commenting on his personal reaction to those who have mocked or celebrated Kirk’s murder, Vance said his instinct had been to pray the Lord’s Prayer. In response to Democrat politicians who had offered their condolences, Vance quoted Psalm 133: “How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers dwell together as one!” He also quoted part of the Creed, describing it as “the most important truth that Charlie told.”

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(Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

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