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By Mandy Taheri
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When Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was fatally shot in September 2025, his widow, Erika Kirk, was suddenly thrust into a leadership role. Over the past year, she has steered the influential conservative organization and elevated her national profile through appearances with President Donald Trump, prominent speeches and her growing presence in conservative politics.
The following year transformed Erika Kirk from a lesser-known figure into one of the conservative movement's most recognizable spokespeople. As TPUSA reported significant growth in its student network, she emerged as a frequent speaker at campaign-style rallies, White House events and major conservative gatherings alongside top Republican leaders.
Her stewardship has earned praise from many conservatives, who credit her with helping stabilize TPUSA after the loss of its founder and preserving Charlie Kirk's political legacy. Her rising profile has also brought increased scrutiny, with political opponents, online critics and some conservative figures, including Candace Owens, publicly challenging her, alongside criticism from the left and social mockery.
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On the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Erika Kirk has emerged as both a symbol of resilience for supporters and a polarizing figure in national politics.
Newsweek has reached out to TPUSA for comment via email on Wednesday.
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From Mourning to Leadership
Erika Kirk was thrust into the spotlight in the immediate aftermath of her husband's death. The day after Charlie Kirk was killed, she accompanied Vice President JD Vance as Kirk's casket was returned to Arizona. Then, days later, on September 18, 2025, TPUSA named her the organization's CEO.
Three days later, she addressed tens of thousands of mourners at her husband’s memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, where the president and several Cabinet officials also delivered tributes to Kirk.
Under her leadership this past year, the organization has grown. The TPUSA “One Year Later” fact sheet states, “Charlie Kirk’s murder inspired, and continues to inspire, hundreds of thousands of young people to get involved in TPUSA and to continue his mission. During the 2025–2026 school year, TPUSA experienced unprecedented expansion.”
The organization notes more than 1,500 college chapters, up 64 percent from the previous school year, and 3,500 Club America high school clubs, up 180 percent from the previous school year.
A Growing Presence in Conservative Politics
As the months progressed, Kirk increasingly emerged as a public figure in her own right.
In October 2025, she accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her late husband in Washington, D.C., before joining Vice President JD Vance at a TPUSA rally at the University of Mississippi later that month. The visit was the first stop on the “This Is the Turning Point” campus tour.
Following the tour, she continued to appear at some of the conservative movement's most prominent events, including Fox Nation's Patriot Awards in New York and TPUSA's annual AmericaFest gathering in Phoenix. The conference was described on Turning Point's website as "a powerful celebration of faith, freedom, and the legacy of our founder, Charlie Kirk."
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Through a series of public appearances and speeches, Erika Kirk's role evolved from that of only a grieving widow to a leader mobilizing people, increasing her visibility among conservative activists, media figures and Republican elected officials.
By early 2026, Kirk had become a regular presence at high-profile Republican events, drawing recognition from the president and other prominent conservatives. In February, Trump singled her out during his State of the Union address.
The following month, she spoke at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion alongside Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, before returning to Washington for additional White House events later in the spring, including an Easter gathering and the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
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Kirk has received several public honors in the year since her husband's death, including an honorary degree awarded by Hillsdale College.
Cultural Flashpoint and Criticism
However, Kirk's emergence as a conservative figure has also brought increased scrutiny. Alongside praise from Republican leaders and supporters, she has faced criticism from political opponents, become the subject of online conspiracy theories and weathered public debate over her handling of grief and expanding public profile.
Following Kirk's death, conservative commentator Candace Owens clashed with Erika, as they were at odds over Owens' claims and commentary surrounding the circumstances of Kirk's death and his various political connections. Owens and Charlie Kirk had been friends and Owens was working for TPUSA when Charlie and Erika Kirk first met in 2018. Owens has questioned the events and narrative around his death, as well as voiced broader criticism of Erika Kirk and TPUSA.
In December, the two women met privately to de-escalate tensions, but in April, after the White House Correspondents' Dinner, they publicly feuded again.
On Saturday, April 25, the White House Correspondents' Dinner was cut short after a gunman opened fire near a security checkpoint at the event. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, was charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States. Kirk was seen breaking down in tears shortly after shots rang out. In a post on X after the event, she wrote that it was "yet another traumatic example of the evil in our country and the continued rise in political violence."
In a March 25 social media post, comedian Druski, whose real name is Drew Desbordes, posted a video with the caption, "How Conservative Women in America act," mocking Erika Kirk. The skit opens with comedian Druski, wearing prosthetics, dancing as fireworks erupt and American flags appear in the background. Some viewers on social media interpreted the imagery as a reference to the large memorial service held for Kirk in Arizona following his death.
Druski is then shown in a mock press conference about the Iran war, singing in a car, conducting a press appearance while holding a Bible and attending a reformer Pilates class.
In a similar vein, the Brooklyn drag show fundraiser "Turning Point U.S. Gay" satirized Turning Point USA and raised more than $25,000 for the American Civil Liberties Union in April. The event featured performer Lauren Banall's viral "Erika Qwerk" character, a parody of Erika Kirk, and opened with a performance titled "We Are Charlie Kirk."
Kirk has also spoken publicly about security concerns and threats directed at her. In April, she canceled a scheduled appearance at the University of Georgia, citing safety concerns and threats related to the event.
TPUSA is hosting a memorial for Kirk at the same university where he was killed, Utah Valley University. The event, "Freedom Built to Last Memorial," will start at 6:30 p.m. MT and will be available on livestream.
The event has been met with pushback from the university's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, along with other groups, such as the Community Defense Club of UVU and The Black Menaces, who are organizing a protest outside the venue.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas
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