Just over a week after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed on a Utah college campus, the conservative advocacy group he co-founded announced his wife, Erika Kirk, will take its helm.
“In prior discussions, Charlie expressed to multiple executives that this is what he wanted in the event of his death,” Turning Point USA said in its announcement Thursday.
Erika Kirk retrieved Charlie Kirk’s body from Utah last week after he was fatally shot on the first stop of his “America Comeback” tour at Utah Valley University in Orem — about an hour south of Salt Lake City. The tour will go on as scheduled, Erika Kirk told supporters during an online livestream Friday.
“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” the widow said in a speech Friday. “ … If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country.”
The group, focused on organizing and influencing young Americans, has grown rapidly since its creation 13 years ago. President Donald Trump has credited Turning Point with playing a role in his 2024 victory.
A second Utah date at Logan’s Utah State University is planned for Sept. 30. That’s one day after alleged Charlie Kirk killer Tyler James Robinson, who is also a former USU student, is scheduled to make his second appearance in court.
USU officials said this week they are planning additional security measures for the event.
Vice President JD Vance, right, Second Lady Usha Vance, center, and Erika Kirk deplane Air Force Two, carrying the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, after landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
On Wednesday, the district judge in Charlie Kirk’s case signed a protective order barring Robinson from attempting to contact Erika Kirk and designating her an “alleged victim.”
“Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one,” a Thursday letter announcing Erika Kirk’s new role and signed by Turning Point USA board members said. “He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests.”