Tens of thousands of people who arrived in Arizona just before Christmas for the annual conference of the conservative group Turning Point USA were greeted at the entrance to the Phoenix convention hall by a striking attraction: a detailed reconstruction of the scene where the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot in September during an appearance at a Utah university.
Next to a replica of the small tent where Kirk had been seated, long lines formed as attendees waited to take selfies. About 30,000 people paid to attend the event, more than double the turnout at previous conferences. Many came to commemorate Kirk — and to buy a $30 T-shirt bearing his image — but also to witness the formal anointing of his successor: his wife, Erika Kirk.
When she took the stage in a glittering pantsuit, accompanied by pyrotechnics, it was clear to supporters that she had not only stepped quickly into her husband’s role, but that she understood the political spectacle as well as he did. In recent weeks, social media has been flooded with a single dominant trend: videos of celebrations of all kinds — rock concerts, dancing, fireworks, sports fans after a goal — mocking the new widow, who became chair of Turning Point USA just two days after her husband’s killing and has since appeared constantly before cameras.
“Everyone grieves differently,” Kirk has said. But her dramatic stage entrances, likened by critics to a Taylor Swift concert opening, have drawn scrutiny. Kirk appears willing to pay that price as she charts a path toward becoming a major celebrity — and possibly a future politician — on the American right.
The Turning Point USA gathering served as the official transfer of the torch to Erika Kirk, who now oversees a political organization valued at at least $100 million. The event, branded this year as America Fest, a play on “America First,” featured many of the most prominent right-wing influencers in the United States and senior figures from former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Even with Vice President J.D. Vance; Donald Trump Jr., Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and dozens of other speakers on the program, the undisputed star was a woman who, less than four months ago, was known mainly to Charlie Kirk’s closest allies. She now has 1 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, and is the subject of speculation about a possible future role as running mate to Vance should he seek the presidency in 2028.
Erika was born in Ohio in 1988. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother, Lori Frantzve, a devout Catholic, raised her as a single parent in Arizona. Erika played college basketball at Regis University, a Catholic school in Colorado, before returning to Arizona to complete her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University. She later earned a graduate degree in law studies from Liberty University, an ultraconservative Christian institution. While in college, she competed twice in the Miss Arizona pageant, finishing second in 2011 and winning the title the following year. The competition was part of the Miss America circuit, then owned by Donald Trump.
In 2018, she applied for a senior position at Turning Point USA and met Charlie Kirk, the organization’s founder, for a job interview at a New York restaurant. The interview became their first date. They married in 2021 and had two children. Despite frequently urging women to stay home and raise children, Kirk herself took a more public path. She often appeared alongside her husband and spoke at Turning Point USA events. Asked once which of the two was more conservative, Charlie Kirk replied: “Erika. By far. I’m moderate compared to her.”
At a leadership conference for young women two months before her husband’s death, Kirk told an all-female audience: “You can always build your own company, but children, family, a husband, marriage — that’s not a renewable resource. I don’t want you chasing a salary and a title and a corner office and sacrificing the short window you have for the most important things.”
Two days after Charlie Kirk’s death, his widow delivered a fiery speech at Turning Point USA headquarters, vowing to carry on his work. Addressing the killer in her remarks, she said, “You have no idea what kind of fire you ignited in this woman. The cries of this widow will echo across the world like a battle cry.” Since then, Erika Kirk has become a highly visible figure on the right — and a wealthy one. In the immediate aftermath of the killing, millions of dollars in donations poured in, with estimates reaching into the tens of millions. Her assumption of the role of chief executive of Turning Point USA guarantees her a six-figure salary.
In early December, Kirk hosted a fundraiser for the organization at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, attended by about 1,000 people who paid $10,000 each. She is releasing a book written by Charlie Kirk before his death, in which he urges observance of the Sabbath, and it is expected to sell millions of copies. She has given a steady stream of interviews, not only to conservative outlets. CBS aired a special featuring her, she sat for an extensive interview with The New York Times and appeared on a Times panel, where she again criticized the choices made by liberal women.
The intense exposure so soon after her husband’s killing has made her a well-known public figure, but it has also brought predictable backlash beyond the wave of memes circulating online. “She’s a complete grifter, just like Trump and just like her racist, homophobic, and shameless husband was,” said Jennifer Walsh, a host of one of the most prominent podcasts on the liberal side of the political spectrum.
Confusion has also emerged among voices on the right. Conservative comedian Tim Dillon addressed the situation on his podcast, saying, “Erika Kirk, it’s tragic, and I’m sorry for what happened. But nobody understands why she’s standing there in a sparkling pantsuit, with a tent recreating her husband’s murder, selling merchandise. The man was shot three months ago, and she’s putting on a fireworks show and saying, ‘We’re going to elect J.D. Vance as the 48th president.’ It’s strange that this is where her head is at. People are confused. What’s going on here?”