Backlash is underway against President Donald Trump and his administration for using taxpayer dollars to return the body of conservative podcaster and media personality Charlie Kirk home to Arizona after he was killed while speaking at an event Wednesday in Orem, Utah, at Utah Valley University Wednesday.
At issue is Vice President JD Vance using Air Force Two to ferry Kirk’s body and his wife Erika Kirk the short distance from Salt Lake City to their home in Arizona.
“Let’s be clear, Kirk was a White Nationalist. I’m not okay with my tax dollars being used for this purpose. I understand Vance and Kirk were close friends, then he can pay for a commercial airline to respectfully deliver the casket,” Kim Minnaugh blasted on Threads. She also pointed out that Vance missed 9/11 memorials to fly the podcaster home himself.
“I’m enraged!” another replied irately.
“As saddened as I am with his murder why is he being flown on a government plane?” Threads user Christopher J. Marren wondered.
And they weren’t the only ones who had a problem with using the military and government flights, which cost thousands of dollars, for non-government business.
“Isn’t he a podcaster?” this Threads user asked.
“They’re showing us that their right-wing media pundits are viewed as a major part of the government, by the inner circle of the government. Trump better be paying for all of that out of his own pocket. They care more about a divisive white supremacist than the health of the entire country. And why is Netanyahu so involved already?,” another replied.
“And Charlie Kirk was a millionaire. Why are our tax dollars paying for this for a rich podcaster who didn’t work for the government?” another Threads user questioned.
Vance was spotted helping carry Kirk’s casket on the tarmac in Salt Lake City. Second lady Usha Vance stepped off the plane in Phoenix with Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, the Associated Press reported. Both women wore black and sunglasses. The vice president was a few steps behind in a dark suit.
Social media posts responding to video of Vance carrying the casket were hilarious.
“Lol very symbolic of Vance to performatively cling to the casket while not offering any meaningful support,” this Threads user observed.
“He is useless yet again,” another answered.
“JD Vance resting his hand on the casket is just the performative bullshit I’ve come to expect from this regime.” social media poster G Lopez pointed out.
Another mused, “LMFAO is he literally leaning on it?”
Vance has been vocal about his friendship with Kirk who is sometimes credited for pushing his name to the top of Trump’s VP picks.
“Charlie Kirk was a true friend,” Vance posted on X. “The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones.”
Kirk’s death has spiraled into a circus reaching the highest levels of government when half the population has no idea who the conservative media star was.
Trump said Thursday he feels an obligation to attend Kirk’s funeral, which he believes is planned for some time next week. Continuing for heap praise on Kirk, he told reporters, “He’s was a great person … a great man … great in every way.”
Even Congress got in on the action.
“We will be introducing a resolution authorizing Charlie Kirk to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, should the Kirk family wish for him to be honored there, South Carilina Rep. Nancy Mace proclaimed to the chagrin of many.
“Charlie Kirk devoted his life to defending the freedoms defining our nation. He inspired millions, led countless souls to Christ, and never wavered in defense of the First Amendment. Such a legacy makes him uniquely worthy of this distinction,” she insisted.
Kirk was the co-founder of the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
“Behind the branding of ‘patriotism’ and ‘freedom,’ the record shows a pattern of rhetoric, organizational culture, and alliances that echoed white supremacist and Christian nationalist ideologies,” Professor Vernellia R. Randall pointed out.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center documented how TPUSA repeatedly framed immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and racial justice advocates as existential threats to ‘white Christian America,’ warning followers that their families, religion, and entire way of life were under attack,” she wrote.
The 31-year-old Kirk had millions of followers on social media and is credited not only with helping Trump win re-election, but also with influencing the selection of Vance as his running mate.
