Erika Kirk Says JD Vance Has Been a ‘Blessing’ Since Husband Charlie’s Assassination, Praises JD and Wife Usha’s ‘Love’

Ahead of her now-viral embrace with Vice President JD Vance at a Turning Point USA event, Erika Kirk opened up about the compassion and support she’s received from the vice president and his wife, Usha, following the tragic death of her husband, Charlie Kirk.

“He’s been a blessing,” Erika, 36, said in a pre-recorded interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, released before the University of Mississippi event on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

“Him and Usha, they are the most incredible people. Incredible. With such genuine love,” she continued. “Everything they did for us was so humanized. They were there for us — and they’ve continued to be there for us.”

Following Charlie’s assassination during a Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10, Erika stepped into his role as CEO of the organization. At the Ole Miss tour stop, she delivered an emotional speech, noting that the day marked seven weeks since her husband’s killing.

Erika told Watters that the event in Mississippi had been planned with JD before Charlie’s death, and she wanted to continue the work her husband had started. “With everything that JD and Usha did for myself and Charlie afterwards, how could you not?” she said.

Her heartfelt remarks at the event became widely shared online, particularly for the moment when she introduced JD Vance. “No one will ever replace my husband,” she told the crowd. “But I do see some similarities of my husband in JD — in Vice President JD Vance. I do. And that’s why I am so blessed to be able to introduce him tonight.”

As Vance, 41, took the stage, he and Erika shared a close embrace. After holding each other tightly, Erika briefly placed her hand on the back of Vance’s head, while his hands rested for a moment on her waist. The interaction quickly drew attention across social media, with many debating whether the gesture was appropriate given Erika’s recent loss.

During the same interview with Watters, which aired in full Wednesday night, Erika described the heartbreaking moment she saw her husband’s body at the hospital after he was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting.

“When we walked into that room … he had this smirk on his face,” Erika recalled, wiping away tears. “That smirk, to me, was his way of saying, ‘You thought you could stop what I’ve built. You thought you could end this vision, this movement, this revival. You thought you could do that by murdering me. You got my body; you didn’t get my soul.’ ”