Erika Kirk has disclosed the words JD Vance whispered to her during their close embrace on stage last month, a moment that set off widespread speculation online.
At a Turning Point event held at the University of Mississippi on October 29, the vice president spoke in memory of Charlie Kirk. Charlie was tragically assassinated on September 10 while addressing college students in Utah, suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the throat.
Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, introduced Vance at the event, remarking that he carried “a little of Charlie in him,” and praised their shared qualities of compassion and leadership.
Vance also made waves during the event by openly discussing his devout Catholic faith contrasted with his wife Usha’s Hindu beliefs. He expressed a hope that she might convert, a statement that some critics interpreted as dismissive of her religious views.
When Vance joined Erika on stage, they shared a heartfelt hug that quickly became a viral topic on social media. Erika placed her hand on the back of Vance’s head, while he gently held her waist.
Their embrace sparked debate, with some critics viewing the moment as overly intimate for a widow and the vice president. However, many defended the gesture as a genuine expression of shared grief and affection for Charlie.
Erika addressed the hug for the first time in an interview with Megyn Kelly during an on-stage event in Arizona on Friday.
‘So for those of you who know me, I’m very-,’ Erika said as Kelly finished her statement: ‘You’re an intense hugger!’
Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance embrace on stage during a Turning Point USA event at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi, on October 29
Erika spoke about her intimate hug with Vance during a recent interview with Megyn Kelly
‘My love language is touch, if you will … So I will give you a play by play. They just played the emotional video. I’m walking over, he’s walking over. I’m starting to cry. He says, “I’m so proud of you.” And I say, “God bless you,” and I touch the back of his head.
‘Anyone whom I have hugged that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, God bless you.’
Kelly responded with a quick joke, ‘They were acting like you touched the back of his ass!’
‘I feel like I wouldn’t get as much hate if I did that!’ Erika said with a laugh.
Following Kirk’s assassination, Erika has taken her husband’s role as CEO of Turning Point USA, the largest college campus conservative organization in America.
Less than 24 hours after Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in September, the vice president and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, flew to the state in order to escort Kirk’s body back to Arizona on Air Force 2.
Footage from the event shows Vance escorting Kirk’s casket on board the plane, while Usha comforts an emotional Erika.
Kirk’s memorial later that month in Arizona was attended by President Donald Trump and the top member of his White House cabinet.
United States Ambassador to Indian Sergio Gor hugs Erika Kirk, wife of the late Charlie Kirk, before being sworn-in by Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Offie of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, November 10
Usha Vance was recently spotted not wearing her wedding ring at an event alongside First Lady Melania Trump (pictured in North Carolina on November 19)
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance arrive for the signing ceremony for the ‘Fostering the Future’ executive order in the East Room at the White House on November 13
‘Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father,’ Vance told a crowd of 60,000 supporters at Kirk’s memorial. ‘And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family.’
More recently, Usha was spotted without her wedding ring during an official White House engagement alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
The Second Lady was ringless during her visit to Camp Lejeune military base in Richlands, North Carolina last week on Wednesday.
Photos from the event show Usha getting off a plane with her left hand in full view and the wedding band nowhere to be seen.
The absence of the ring occurs weeks after the vice president revealed a stark religious divide in his marriage with Usha: He is a devout Catholic while she is Hindu.
When contacted by the Daily Mail a spokesperson for the Second Lady said Usha ‘is a mother of three young children who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes’.
