Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and chief executive of Turning Point USA, withdrew from a campus event at the University of Georgia on Tuesday after receiving what organizers described as "very serious threats.”
"About two hours ago, as you know, Andrew, I was a little worried that we were going to have to cancel the event because Erika was not going to come," Vance told Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet who filled in for Kirk. "And she was very worried about it."
Kolvet addressed the audience and the vice president at the top of the program.
"I'm going to address it right at the front, Mr. Vice President, I'm on stage here instead of our friend Erika Kirk because unfortunately she has received some very serious threats in her direction," Kolvet said. "It's a terrible reflection on the state of reality and the state of the country."
The Secret Service and Turning Point USA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NTD News.
Erika Kirk's absence came roughly seven months after her husband was shot and killed during a campus speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. A gunman, identified as Tyler James Robinson, 22, faces aggravated murder charges in the killing, which authorities have described as politically motivated. FBI Director Kash Patel previously said Robinson told someone "he had an opportunity to take out Kirk and was going to do it.”
Vance, who said he was present when Charlie Kirk's body was transported back to Washington, offered a personal reflection on Erika Kirk's grief during his remarks Tuesday.
"She said, 'I really wish that we had had more babies together,'" Vance recalled her telling him. "And that kind of hit me ... he's gone."
The vice president also pushed back forcefully against what he called false narratives circulating about Erika Kirk online, defending her character and her grief in blunt terms.
"The people telling you that Erika wasn't grieving her husband are full [expletive]," Vance said. "And we need to be honest about that fact."
The event was part of Turning Point USA's ongoing campus tour. Charlie Kirk co-founded the organization to engage and mobilize young conservative voters. His killing in September sparked widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, and prompted tighter security measures at campus events featuring prominent political figures.