President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Congressional Ball on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit : Alex Wong/Getty

Donald Trump Says He ‘Just Heard About’ Melania’s New First Lady Initiative: ‘I Don’t Know What It Is She’s Doing’

Thomas Smith
4 Min Read

Erika Kirk is asking parents to “look in the mirror” and rethink how they’re raising their children in an increasingly polarized political climate.

Speaking at a town hall hosted by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss that will air on Saturday, Dec. 13, Erika reflected on how political violence has affected her family and argued that parents must do more to keep their children away from online spaces that can fuel extremism.

“I will never agree with political violence. My husband is a victim of it. I’m a victim of it. But what I’m trying to say here is that we can blame everyone else,” Erika said. “We have to look in the mirror. When you become a father, when you become a mother, how are you raising your kids?”

Erika’s husband, Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. His alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, was reportedly “radicalized” by political content he consumed online, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

“Clearly there is a lot of gaming that was going on … that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” Cox said on Meet the Press on Sept. 14.

Erika also challenged parents to “step up” and think about how much time their children spend on electronic devices — and what they’re doing there.

Donald Trump looks on while first lady Melania Trump speaks at the Congressional Ball in the White House on Dec. 11, 2025. Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty

“Are you taking responsibility, or are you giving them a device and saying, ‘Go down that rabbit hole. I’m tryin’ to go to Pilates class,’ ” she said. “You can just sit in the corner and look at your iPad or look at your phone and go down that rabbit hole and see what you can learn from that, instead of being a parent.”

Erika ended her remarks with a stark “call to action” for parents, urging them to consider the long-term impact of what their kids see and hear online. “Do you want your kid to be a thought leader or an assassin?” she asked. “That’s where we’re at.”

When Weiss asked whether political leaders have a “responsibility to turn the temperature down” right now, Erika said she can only control her own actions.

Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the Congressional Ball on Dec. 11, 2025. Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty

“Well, I think everyone has a responsibility to do that, and I’m doin’ my part,” she said. “I’m not in control of other people.”

After Charlie’s death, Erika was unanimously selected by the Turning Point USA board to succeed him as the organization’s new CEO.

A Town Hall With Erika Kirk will air on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.

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