By Simon CrerarShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAsked about the possibility of Turning Point USA supporting JD Vance in a potential presidential bid in an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show released on Monday, Charlie Kirk’s widow said: “It’s in the works. This was a thing my husband was very direct about. One of the last few conversations we had was how intentional he was for supporting JD in 2028.”
The conservative student advocacy group is credited with bolstering President Donald Trump's base and galvanizing younger voters ahead of the 2024 election. Group cofounder and CEO Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a “Prove Me Wrong” campus event in Utah in September.
Why It Matters
Erika Kirk spoke with Kelly about Turning Point USA’s plans during a live show recorded in Glendale, Arizona, over the weekend.
The current CEO of Turning Point, she acknowledged the support of the Vances after her husband’s death. The vice president and his wife Usha escorted Charlie Kirk's body aboard Air Force Two, with JD Vance helping carry Kirk’s casket on the tarmac in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Erika Kirk has said the vice president's support “has been a blessing" and that he and his wife have shown her "genuine love."
What To Know
Turning Point USA and the Kirks maintained very close public ties to Trump and his family, which helped solidify their position as a major force within the MAGA ecosystem.
Asked by Kelly about the president’s relationship with her husband, Kirk said that “Charlie and President Trump had a really special relationship. At times, it was like father and son. At other times, it was about building. What Charlie really appreciated about President Trump is that he was so mission-focused.”
Kelly also asked about the Kirks’ relationship with JD Vance. The vice president has spoken often about Charlie Kirk’s key role advocating for his selection as Trump's running mate. In the day’s after Kirk’s death, Vance hosted an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, featuring members of the Trump administration sharing their memories of the late activist.
According to Vance, Kirk advocated "in public and private" to Trump for him to be the vice presidential nominee.
The Charlie Kirk Show regularly hosted Vance, giving him a large, friendly platform to reach the highly engaged, grassroots young conservative base. This gave Vance essential airtime to showcase his policy positions, loyalty to the "America First" agenda and cultural warrior persona.
Erica Kirk's relationship with JD Vance’s drew public attention after an emotional onstage embrace at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi last month.
...Before introducing the vice president, Kirk had told the crowd that while "No one will ever replace my husband," she did see "some similarities of my husband in Vice President JD Vance."
After their onstage hug went viral, Kirk said that subsequent online speculation about their closeness was excessive and that her "love language is touch."
Asked by Kelly about the moment, Kirk said the embrace was one of mutual respect and a shared mission, and that Vance had told her, “He’s so proud of you.”
“They just played the emotional video. I’m walking over, he’s walking over. I’m starting to cry,” Kirk said.
“And I say, ‘God bless you,’ and I touch the back of his head. Anyone who I have hugged, that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, ‘God bless you.’”
“That’s just me,” Kirk told Kelly.
“If you want to take that out of context, go right ahead. Again, that to me shows that you need a hug.”
What People Are Saying
Erica Kirk, on Turning Point: “My husband built a machine. He loved the students. He loved empowering them to make a difference, to understand how powerful voting could be.”
Kelly, to Erika Kirk: “JD and Usha have been very supportive to you and I look forward to you throwing the full weight of Turning Point behind them in three years. Am I being subtle?”
What Happens Next
Vance has not announced a 2028 presidential run, telling Sean Hannity on Fox News in a recent interview that he's currently focused on his job as vice president and the 2026 midterms.
"I would say that I've thought about what that moment might look like after the midterm elections," Vance said. "But I also, whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job right now, and my job is to do it."
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