Erika Kirk

JD and Usha Vance Say Erika Kirk’s Regret Shaped Their Fourth Child Decision

In his forthcoming book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, Vice President JD Vance suggests that the assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk led to the Vances’ fourth pregnancy.

The vice president writes:

“For years I had asked Usha to have another baby, and for years she had told me she was done—especially now that public service had elevated us into the national spotlight.”

The Vances are busy raising three children: Ewan (8), Vivek (6) and Mirabel (4).

Prior to being elected vice president, Vance served as a United States senator in Ohio, beginning in 2023. He served in the U.S. Marines then met his wife, Usha, while they were both attending Yale Law School. They married a year after graduation. 

Vice President Vance and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk forged a strong friendship after Vance had been elected to the Senate. They would get together whenever possible and spoke regularly on the phone – especially as the media spotlight homed in on the Ohio senator during the 2024 campaign.

When Senator Vance expressed concern that son Ewan was beginning to resent the family’s fame and attention, Kirk counseled him.

“Don’t try to convince your son it’s not a sacrifice,” Charlie told him. “It is. Just try to take some solace in the fact that it’s a worthy sacrifice. I’ll say a prayer for you.” 

But then came the awful day in September 2025. After news of Charlie’s murder, the Vances flew to Utah to minister to Erika. VP Vance writes about it in his new book:

“As my wife held Charlie Kirk’s widow on the first day of her terrible sorrow, Erika told Usha between sobs that she regretted having only two kids with Charlie.”

There’s little doubt the Kirks wanted more children and they likely would have if Charlie had not been assassinated.

“Get married,” urged Charlie Kirk back when he was alive. “Have children. Build a legacy. Pass down your values. Pursue the eternal. Seek true joy. Having children is way more important than having a good career.”

According to Vice President Vance, the time grieving with Erika Kirk had a profound impact on his wife.

“Something changed for Usha, and not long after we buried my friend, she became pregnant with our fourth child, a boy,” Vance writes. 

He then added:

“One life was stolen from us, but another was given. I don’t know why God does things like this. But I am grateful to Him that there will soon be another source of joy in our lives. Another person added to the communion of our family and hopefully to that of the Church. Another person to whom I will sing, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know.’ Another beautiful soul to wonder at, and fall in love with, God’s beautiful creation.”

Few people know anyone who regrets having too many children, but we all know people who wish they had more.

As Christians, we should be the most vocal and effective promoters of marriage and children – and we do that by modeling the blessings of a happy family filled with as many souls as the Lord sees fit to loan us.

The Mislabeling of Christian Patriots as Christian Nationalists Must Stop

The uneven and unhinged have always been susceptible to the delusional and fantastical, but the normalization of the abnormal is now getting people killed and threatening the lives of far too many.

Case in point:

On Thursday, police arrested Jacob Wenske, 26, for threatening to assassinate Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, the slain Turning Point USA founder.

Erika Kirk is now CEO of the organization. In the months since her husband’s murder, she’s been subjected to an ongoing stream of grifters lobbing baseless accusations, countless conspiracy theories and downright wicked and evil commentary.

This latest attack comes just ahead of a planned three-day Women’s Leadership Conference in San Antonio where Mrs. Kirk is scheduled to speak.

The would-be assassin shared the motive for his planned attack on social media. In part, here is what he wrote:

“Death to Erika Kirk and every single speaker there! America will live on without those scum on this earth. Every Christian nationalist shall perish in the bombing that will take place at every single Turning Point rally and event.”

So, in addition to Erika Kirk, who are these supposed “Christian nationalists” slated to speak at the June event?

Podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey, Riley Gaines, Kayleigh McEnany, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kristan Hawkins and Judge Jeanine Pirro, to name just a few.

None of them are so-called Christian nationalists, but many may not know that thanks to the reckless, relentless and irresponsible fanning of the term these last few years.

Socially conservative patriotic Christians are tagged with the term because media and radical activists see the labeling as an effective tool to degrade, diminish and hopefully derail their activism. It’s become a slur, and even some Christians are falling for the nonsense.

To be clear, a true Christian nationalist would be someone who puts their allegiance to their country in front of their Savior, Jesus Christ. It might even be someone who elevates a politician to the same level as God. It’s a distorted and disordered prioritization of things.

It happens – but it is rare.

Charlie Kirk was often called a “Christian nationalist” by detractors simply because he recognized that America’s founders were driven by their faith and a sense of Divine destiny. But Charlie Kirk did not worship America – he worshipped Jesus, a prophet and King whom he believed had blessed the United States of America.

Deliberately or irresponsibly tossing around the term gives license to radical or mentally unstable actors. In their sick minds, it justifies violence and encourages them to right what they perceive to be wrong.

The mislabeling of Christian patriotism as Christian nationalism isn’t just a mischaracterization. It’s now proving to be a dangerous and even deadly tactic that must be stopped and called out.

Please join us in praying for the protection of Erika Kirk and all Christian believers who are responding to God’s call on their lives to engage culture in the public square. 

Erika Kirk at Hillsdale College Commencement: ‘Aim at Worthy Things’

Erika Kirk addressed graduates at Hillsdale College’s 174th Commencement Ceremony last Saturday, May 9, urging them to “aim at worthy things.” 

Erika is the CEO and chair of Turning Point USA and the widow of its founder, Charlie Kirk, a Christian, conservative broadcaster who was assassinated by a sniper eight months ago at Utah Valley University. 

It was a poignant graduation ceremony, as Hillsdale, a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan, conferred honorary doctorates of public service on both Charlie and Erika. 

In the earlier announcement of Erika as commencement speaker, Hillsdale President Dr. Larry Arnn stated: 

Charlie Kirk became a national and international sensation, and he built something amazing. At his memorial service were the great, the near-great, and tens of millions watching. But that isn’t why we loved him. We loved him because he was, at heart, a student who worked hard to get it right.

Erika Kirk, brave and widowed, intends to carry on. And we will help her.

Dr. Arnn alluded to Charlie’s untimely death in his introduction of Erika to the graduates and their families, describing the world as a place of suffering and “sudden and violent change.” He added: 

We will remember that our suffering has meaning. We will remember that our suffering gives joy, produces joy, knowledge, and good actions that come from it and relieve our suffering and deepen our friendship.

Dr. Arnn talked about meeting Charlie in 2013 when Kirk was only 19 years old, just one year after he had founded Turning Point. Dr. Arnn said, “I asked him some questions and he couldn’t answer them.” 

Charlie asked, “What do I do?” and Dr. Arnn replied, “You have to learn,” adding that learning takes suffering. 

“Well,” Dr. Arnn said, “I fell in love with the boy for the same reason I fell in love with these[students]. He did learn.” 

Charlie didn’t go on to earn a college degree, but he was a lifelong student, taking classes at King’s College in New York City, reading good books and completing 31 Hillsdale College online courses.  

Dr. Arnn said that when he met Erika Kirk, he turned to his wife and said, “Yeah, I think she’s going to be good. I think she’s tough.” 

“You need that. You need grace. You need beauty. You need tough. You need smarts. Now these qualities are called forth from Erika,” he told the students, adding that even in her grief, Erika was maligned by others. 

Erika began her address by mentioning that the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary was the previous day, May 8. She described how, even on their honeymoon, Charlie was taking a Hillsdale online course – learning from Dr. Arnn. 

She told the students: 

He really understood that this institution wasn’t normal. It was something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader and really become a serious person – not just a political talking head, but someone who truly sought out the beautiful things in life, the good, the true. 

And he really took that seriously because he loved learning. And that’s what set him apart, just as all of you. You guys love learning. 

She praised her husband, saying that through his self-directed education: 

Charlie was better able to recognize his duty to pursue truth and to defend liberty. And this responsibility he felt to God. He felt it to our family, to our country, and that was born from what he learned. 

Charlie’s aim, she said, was “to turn a doubting, godless and defiant nation back to God. To remind a confused nation that our freedoms are not guaranteed and we must sustain them and point a lost generation back to truth, virtue, and right living.”

Our life on earth is short, she reminded the students, especially when contrasted with “God’s infinity,” so “our choices, even the smallest ones, matter.” Erika encouraged the students to take what they had learned and “be a part of the solution for this nation and this world.” 

Erika called students to pursue not just pleasure or comfort, but “worthy things … the good and the true and the beautiful.” She said: 

If you are going to live as a purposeful being, then aim high at worthy things. Because purpose is not something that just drifts into your life. It is formed through what you attend to, what you think about, what you return to.

She exhorted the graduates, saying: 

You are not made for a life that asks nothing of you. You are made for something higher, something that calls you upward rather than settles you downward. At the center of that life, it must be Jesus Christ, always to love Him and to serve Him because He is the axis upon which all other priorities turn.

Finally, she challenged them to marry and “have more kids than you can afford,” build and maintain friendships, read great books, and love and defend our country. 

May God bless Erika’s courage and resolve as she grieves her loss, works to raise her children and fights to continue Charlie’s legacy. 

Related articles and resources: 

The 3 Questions Found on Charlie Kirk’s Desk After He Was Killed

Charlie Kirk: Man of Faith, Family and Fidelity

Charlie Kirk’s Generosity Sowed Seeds for Future Generations

Erika Kirk: ‘Charlie Loved God’s Design for Marriage and Family’

Erika Kirk: “The opinions of this world mean nothing to me.”

Erika Kirk: They Got Charlie’s Body, But Not His Soul

‘I Forgive Him’: Three of the Most Impactful Moments from Charlie Kirk’s Memorial

Nearly 100,000 People Woke Up at Dawn for Charlie Kirk’s Memorial. Here’s Why.

Please Keep Praying for Erika Kirk

Please Keep Praying for Erika Kirk

It’s been almost 8 months since Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder and beloved Christian conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk was gunned down in cold blood on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Whenever tragedy strikes, Christians offer condolences and prayers for the families and friends of the loved ones left behind. We do this because we believe God hears our prayers (Psalm 55:16-17) and is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

Many of us have been praying for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who was left not only as a grieving spouse, but also as a mother of young children. But she’s also been forced to bear the wicked, evil, and outlandish claims of clearly unstable and unhinged grifters accusing her of nearly everything under the sun – including playing a part in her husband’s murder.

On Wednesday, Erika Kirk released a video in partial response to some of these outrageous accusations. The now CEO of TPUSA was a guest at the White House Correspondents Dinner and explained why she chose to attend.

“It was because many of the journalists in that room have attempted to dehumanize me,” she shared. “And I wanted to meet some of them face to face, quite frankly.”

Mrs. Kirk noted the curious dynamic of camaraderie in the ballroom prior to the evacuation after the shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. She remarked to a reporter with the Daily Mail, “For one night, you are able to put aside all of your differences for the sake of freedom of speech. And then by Monday morning, things will go back to being an absolute bloodbath between all of you.”

In the video released Wednesday, Erika Kirk noted the sad irony of how it was a schoolteacher who was trying to kill President Trump.

“You have these people who are supposed to be teaching our children the future of this country,” she observed. “And he’s so unhinged that he’s able to teach children by day and then attempt to murder the president of the United States by night.”

Mrs. Kirk went on to make a profound and chilling observation:

“While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country, I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens. This is what got my husband killed. This is what has led to three legitimate attempts on President Trump’s life. And I can speak firsthand to that unbearable toll that this must take on our First Lady.”

This is one more reason why Christians should continue to pray for Erika Kirk. The death of her husband was shocking and unsettling. But life eventually goes on for the observer, even someone deeply moved and upset by the evil everyone saw on September 10, 2025. And life has gone on for Erika – but in a very different and difficult way. 

“Every morning, I wake up to a new headline lying about me,” Erika Kirk stated. “I have comedians dressing up in whiteface. I have people saying I’m not fit to be CEO. And I have Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband. And the list goes on and on and on.”

Why is this happening? 

“There is a serious epidemic of dehumanization plaguing this country,” she continued. “The most unthinkable tragedies have now become commonplace in our daily headlines. And yet the media finds a way to conveniently explain away violence.”

This grotesque and gutless treatment of a grieving widow is heartbreaking and maddening. But it can also ignite and steel the resolve of Christians to pushback and double down on their commitment to face the evil head-on. 

That’s precisely how Erika Kirk is responding to the ongoing barrage of bullying.

“The evil forces working to divide us, to distract us, and to pull us apart have never been stronger,” she acknowledged. “This is a moment for Americans to come together and decide what kind of country we’re going to be before we lose our country altogether. In Romans 12, verse 21, it says, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’”

May the Lord bless Erika Kirk’s resolve and may He do likewise regarding our steadfastness, too.

Erika Kirk: “The opinions of this world mean nothing to me.”

It’s been 134 days since an assassin’s bullet killed her husband, Charlie Kirk, but Erika Kirk has soldiered on, including speaking last night at Harvest Church in Los Angeles to kick off Turning Point USA’s “Make Heaven Crowded” tour.

Billed as “A gospel centered gathering calling people to repentance, faith, and bold obedience to Jesus,” the event is planned for 29 other cities this year throughout the United States. They’ll be at Awaken Church in San Diego on Thursday night.

In addition to TPUSA president Erika Kirk, Wednesday’s service featured Pastor Greg Laurie.

At the time of the slain TPUSA founder’s death, Pastor Laurie had stated, “The greatest tribute we can pay to Charlie is calling people to Christ and speaking unashamedly on cultural issues.”

That’s precisely what many within the TPUSA orbit have done, especially Erika Kirk. For doing so, she’s been vilified by some radical activists and even accused by unhinged conspiratorialists for being implicit in her husband’s murder. Others have judged her for jumping back into the work, even questioning how she’s been grieving.

Rather than engage the criticism or defend her actions, Mrs. Kirk has kept her focus on the work at hand. She told Fox News’ Shannon Bream, “If myself or Charlie spent every single second responding to every accusation, responding to every insult, every judgment, we’d get nothing done. We just wouldn’t. I’m not gonna ask God to remove those people from life. It just makes me stronger.”

Speaking on Wednesday night at Harvest Church, Erika picked up on that philosophy, sharing a perspective that is both refreshing and instructive for those of us who understand that the Lord commands us to be engaged in culture. She told those gathered:

I operate very clearly. Whatever decision is in front of me, it will go through a very strict lens. Is this going to bring me closer to Heaven or is it going to bring me further away from Heaven? If it is going to bring me further away from heaven, step aside Satan, I do not want to touch you with a 10-foot pole.

I do not want to be around anything that is going to take me further away from my home in Heaven. I don’t. That’s where my heart is.

She then delivered a statement that every Christian can personalize and take to heart:

And so as long as I remain obedient to God and abide in His Word, and I’m in the jet stream of His Will, the opinions of this world mean nothing to me. Nothing. 

With the advent of social media and the explosion of citizen and activist journalists, there are more opinions than ever being pushed out — and often to decry or to diminish the socially conservative point of view. The drumbeat is persistent and consistent. It’s easy to be swept up in it, especially given the worldly trappings that often surround the popularly held opinions of the day. 

But millions of followers don’t make a foolish opinion right. The acclaim or acceptance of others won’t soften or forgive sin. As King Solomon advised, “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge” (Proverbs 14:7).

As the late Dr. Adrian Rogers observed, “It doesn’t matter if you please the whole world and don’t please Jesus. But if you please Jesus, it doesn’t matter whom you displease.”

Please continue praying for Erika Kirk and her family.