Erika Kirk vows to get JD Vance elected president ‘in the most resounding way possible’ during TPUSA AmericaFest
Erika Kirk made a full‑swing endorsement for Vice President JD Vance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, and she announced that the conservative group will return to college campuses next year after her husband Charlie’s death.
During her speech at the Phoenix Convention Center she said the group would work to keep President Trump a four‑year president with a Republican Congress, and that “we are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for ’48” – a line that was later clarified to mean ’28.
Kirk also promised to keep fighting Republican causes for the 2026 midterms, swearing to carry on Charlie’s work. The 36‑year‑old widow had to improvise when her iPad won’t even turn on, and she noted after the glitch:
“The enemy has thrown a lot of curve balls at us today,” she said.
“And one of them is the fact that my entire speech has been wiped because my iPad won’t even turn on.”
She continued with stories from her late husband’s life and, after a staffer handed her a sheet of data, she joked that “Egypt is not on the list.” The joke was a low‑key dig at right‑wing podcaster Candace Owens, who had spread conspiracy theories about Charlie’s shooting.
Following the speech, the Turner Point CEO read aloud the organization’s new plans, including a “Pick up the Mic” initiative and campus tours in spring and fall 2026.
Kirk also said she and Owens met in Nashville to address the backlash Owens had launched against Turning Point after Charlie’s murder. She highlighted that Charlie’s love for debate remains a core value:
“Charlie’s love for debate will always be the DNA of Turning Point USA, because we believe in truth, and we believe in civil discourse, and we believe that truth can withstand scrutiny.”
In interviews, she said she remembered one of her last conversations with Charlie as a discussion about how important he was in supporting JD for ’28.
At a recent DealBook summit, she chose not to specifically endorse Vance for 2028, although she reiterated that Charlie had been a vocal supporter of Vance during the 2022 Senate race. She concluded,
“I adore JD, and my husband was very vocal about supporting him,” she said.
“I will enjoy the fact that my husband worked so hard — so hard for this past election. And I think it would behove us to appreciate that hard work and enjoy the fact that we do have a president in office that we voted for.”
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