In early November 2025, a rumor spread online claiming that Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk flew aboard Air Force Two with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to an event at the University of Mississippi. The claim was shared alongside, and appeared to reinforce, a baseless rumor alleging a romantic relationship between the two.
One Facebook post (archived) on the topic read “Ericka Kirk took Air Force 2 to Ole Miss. When did we vote her into office?” adding “That round trip cost taxpayers $6 million.”
Thousands of people reacted to, commented on and shared the post. Similar claims spread on multiple social media platforms, including Instagram, X, Threads. Readers searched our website and messaged us to ask about the claim.
In short, there was no evidence to support the rumor that Erika Kirk flew on Air Force Two with Vance.
According to the official White House pool report for the vice president’s trip to Ole Miss on Oct. 29, 2025, Vance traveled with his wife, second lady Usha Vance, and two U.S. senators. Photographs from that day likewise showed Vance boarding and disembarking the plane with his wife — not with Kirk.
Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesperson said via email “that claim is 100% false” and stated that “Erika flew separately,” adding that “the cost of flying Air Force Two would be the same as any other day the Vice President chooses to fly somewhere. We have no information on specific costs.” While we were not able to verify the exact figure, the available data suggested the total cost would likely be far lower than $6 million.
We also contacted the Office of the Vice President to ask whether any nongovernment or private guests, including Erika Kirk, were aboard Air Force Two during the Oct. 29 trip to Ole Miss. Additionally, we requested clarification about the claim that the flight “cost taxpayers $6 million.” The office declined to provide an on-the-record statement on the matter.
What we know about Vance’s trip to Ole Miss
According to the official White House pool report for the vice president’s trip to Ole Miss on Oct. 29, 2025, Vance traveled with his wife, second lady Usha Vance, and two U.S. senators from Mississippi, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith. The note did not mention Erika Kirk:
VP arrived at JBA at 2:19, alongside the Second Lady, and boarded AF2 shortly after. He waved at pool but did not stop for questions. Traveling with VP is the Senate Mississippi delegation (Wicker and Hyde-Smith.) Consider this wheels up.
Several photographs available through Getty Images showed Vance and his wife boarding and disembarking from Air Force Two for the trip to Ole Miss — none of which included Erika Kirk.
(Getty Images)
No official information is available about how Erika Kirk traveled to the University of Mississippi event. She was last seen aboard Air Force Two with Vance on Sept. 11, 2025, when they transported the casket of her late husband, Charlie Kirk, from Utah to Arizona.
Air Force Two is the official air traffic control call sign used for any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president of the United States — most often a Boeing C-32A, a specially configured version of the Boeing 757-200. Though we were unable to independently verify the alleged cost of the flight, based on the Pentagon’s published hourly rates for the C-32A, past cost estimates for Air Force One flights, and the approximate flight duration, the total expense for a round trip to Ole Miss would likely fall in the tens or, at most, hundreds of thousands of dollars — not millions. There was also no evidence indicating that any taxpayer funds were used to cover travel expenses for Erika Kirk.
For further reading, in a separate article we have unpacked an unfounded claim that Erika Kirk was romantically involved with the vice president.
Sources
Liles, Jordan. “Erika Kirk and JD Vance Spark Affair Rumors, but There’s No Evidence They’re True.” Snopes, 31 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/10/31/erika-kirk-jd-vance-affair/.
Trevithick, Joseph. “‘Air Force One’ 747s Now Cost $177k An Hour To Fly.” The War Zone, 5 Apr. 2022, https://www.twz.com/45066/here-is-what-the-vc-25a-air-force-one-jets-now-cost-per-hour-to-fly.
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance Board Air…” Getty Images, 29 Oct. 2025, https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/vice-president-jd-vance-and-second-lady-usha-vance-board-news-photo/2243487556.
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance Disembarks Air Force Two on October 29,…” Getty Images, 30 Oct. 2025, https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/vice-president-jd-vance-disembarks-air-force-two-on-october-news-photo/2243558889.
“Vance Arrives in Arizona with Charlie Kirk’s Casket Aboard Air Force Two.” AP News, 12 Sep. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-jd-vance-turning-point-assassination-49501e2fdcb268c74c7dd929049abcd6.
Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 29, 2025 | The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/vice-presidential-pool-reports-october-29-2025. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
