Charlie Kirk’s widow was seen for the first time since her husband’s murder at an event in Utah on Wednesday. Erica Frantzve was captured by cameras as she disembarked from Air Force Two alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha.
In the footage that circulated, Kirk’s widow could be seen holding Usha Vance’s hand while walking down the steps of the aircraft.
🔶 Air Force Two, the plane of Vice President J.D. Vance, led last night the body of Charlie Kirk from Utah to Arizona. Erika, Kirk's widow, got off the plane holding the hand of Second Lady Usha Vance. pic.twitter.com/2CcWSy20hy
— Monika (@Monika_is_His) September 12, 2025
Air Force Two, the Vice President’s plane, was used to transport the activist’s body back to his home state of Arizona.
Vance and his wife accompanied the body and Erica on the return trip, while Erica, having boarded an SUV, waved—unable to hold back her tears—to Kirk supporters who waved American flags as the motorcade arrived outside Hansen Mortuary Chapel in Phoenix.
Earlier, video circulated on social media showing Vance helping load the coffin onto the plane in Utah.
The U.S. Vice President, who called Charlie Kirk a “true friend,” canceled his participation in September 11, 2001, commemorations to meet the victim’s family in Utah.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump announced the posthumous awarding of the Medal of Freedom to Kirk, calling for a “response” to the crime but “without violence.” “Kirk fought for nonviolence. That’s how I would want people to respond,” the Republican leader said yesterday.
A flag-bearer of the Trumpist youth and now a “martyr” for the American right and far-right, Charlie Kirk was killed last Wednesday after being shot in the neck while participating in a public dialogue event on a university campus in Utah, in the western U.S.
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