Erika Kirk has been named CEO and board chair for Turning Point USA, the nonprofit organization her husband, Charlie Kirk, founded in 2012 and led until his assassination last week at Utah Valley University.
In a post on X, the conservative organization’s board of directors said it was what Kirk said he wanted in the event of his death.
“It was the honor of our lives to serve as board members at Charlie’s side. Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one,” the board said. “He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests. And now, it is our great pride to announce Erika Kirk as the new CEO and Chair of the Board for Turning Point USA.”
They continued, “All of us at Turning Point USA have a special role in carrying Charlie Kirk’s mantle and completing his vision of bringing us all closer to our Lord and fostering a prosperous country for generations to come. As Charlie always said, ‘We have a country to save.’ We will not surrender or kneel before evil. We will carry on. The attempt to destroy Charlie’s work will become our chance to make it more powerful and enduring than ever before.
In her first comments to the nation following her husband’s murder, Erika Kirk cautioned those who thought her husband’s death would end his organization’s efforts.
“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before,” she said, “you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country.”
“The cries of this widow will echo around the world, like a battle cry,” Kirk said.
TPUSA has garnered the support and attention of millions of young Americans across the country. Before his passing, Kirk spoke to the Deseret News about his work, explaining that Turning Point USA is one of the largest conservative organizations for high school and college students in the country.
Last week’s event was sponsored by UVU’s student chapter and attracted 3,000 students and community members, and was the first stop of Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour.”
Many of Kirk’s friends and colleagues in the conservative influencer community, like Megyn Kelly and Ben Shapiro, have vowed to keep his tour going.
Kelly said on Instagram that she refused to let a single stop on Kirk’s tour be canceled.
“We have to keep talking,” she said. “It’s more important now than ever.”