CBS NEWS – Vice President JD Vance noted late Wednesday that Kirk advocated “in public and private” for President Trump to pick him as his running mate last year, following what Vance described as an eight-year-long friendship between the vice president and the conservative commentator.
Vance said he first interacted with Kirk in 2017, when he sent Vance a complimentary message on Twitter following an appearance on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” The vice president noted that both he and Kirk were initially Trump “skeptics” before becoming vociferous supporters.
The vice president said Kirk was “one of the first people I called” when Vance mulled a run in Ohio’s 2022 Senate race, a campaign that vaulted him into elected politics. During that campaign, he said Kirk introduced him to Donald Trump Jr., a close Kirk ally.
Kirk and Vance remained in close contact after that, including during the 2024 campaign, the vice president said. He praised Turning Point USA’s role in organizing pro-Trump events last year and credited Kirk with some of the Trump administration’s personnel decisions.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
