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Widow of slain activist Charlie Kirk defended her lingering hug with JD Vance and slapped back at critics of it in an interview with Megyn Kelly
Rhian Lubinin New YorkTuesday 25 November 2025 16:13 GMTComments
CloseErika Kirk Breaks Down the Moment Behind Her Intimate Hug With JD Vance
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Erika Kirk said that Turning Point USA would support Vice President JD Vance’s possible 2028 election bid as she also addressed backlash to an intense hug between the pair on stage.
Kirk, who is now the CEO of the conservative movement’s leading young Republicans group following the assassination of her husband Charlie Kirk, has been dogged by trolls since she embraced Vance last month at a Turning Point campaign event.
The mother of two spoke of similarities between her late husband and Vance before she welcomed him on stage and hugged him, and then placed her hand on the back of his head.
The moment went viral and people began to analyze their body language, passing judgment on the “appropriateness” of the embrace.
But when asked about the moment by Megyn Kelly during her live show in Glendale, Arizona, over the weekend, Kirk explained that the hug was just her “love language.”
open image in galleryErika Kirk spoke of Turning Point USA’s support for Vice President JD Vance’s possible 2028 election bid following backlash to an intense hug between the pair on stage (Getty Images)“Whoever is hating on a hug needs a hug themselves,” Kirk said. “My love language is touch, if you will,” she told Kelly and explained that placing a hand on the back of someone’s head is usually how she hugs people.
“They were acting like you touched the back of his a**!” Kelly replied.
Kirk agreed and said, “I feel like I wouldn't get as much hate if I did that!”
She also revealed to Kelly that Turning Point’s support for Vance’s possible run in 2028 “was in the works.”
The vice president has not confirmed he will run in 2028 but is considered the “heir to MAGA.”
open image in galleryThe moment went viral and people began to analyze their body language, passing judgment on the ‘appropriateness’ of the embrace (Getty Images)Vance had a close friendship with Charlie Kirk, who advocated for his selection as Donald Trump’s running mate, and the vice president has played a prominent role in the right-wing organization since the MAGA influencer’s death.
The vice president and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk on Air Force Two to bring her husband’s body home to Arizona following the assassination at the college campus in Orem, Utah.
Vance’s own marriage was also scrutinized following the hug with the widow and his remarks about hoping his wife, who was raised Hindu, will “eventually” believe in his Christian faith.
“Most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church,” Vance said at a Turning Point event at the University of Mississippi on Oct. 29. “Do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”
The comment, coupled with the hug, sent the rumor mill into overdrive as trolls suggested Vance would be better suited to Kirk, a deeply religious white Christian woman.
Adding fuel to the fire, Usha Vance was recently pictured without her wedding ring, but her office dismissed the speculation.
In a statement, the second lady’s office said that she is “a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”
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Charlie KirkMegyn KellyUsha VanceJD VanceTurning Point USAJoin our commenting forum
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