During a Turning Point USA event held at the University of Mississippi on October 29th, Vice President JD Vance delivered a political declaration at the invitation of the widow of the deceased conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, named Erika Kirk.
The photo, in which Vance appeared calm in his navy suit and Erika radiant in her tribute tee inspired by her late husband’s style, went viral quickly. However, this embrace was more than just a hug; it was an intimate one, extended and, apparently, a little too cozy for comfort for some viewers.
Coming only after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah, the event shocked the entire right-wing camp. The perpetrator behind the assassination, Tyler Robinson, who is only 22 years old, is still waiting for trial for a murder charge fueled by politically-charged motives.
And now, as Erika takes on her new role as the CEO of TPUSA in her late husband’s stead, the photos of her proximity to the Vice President have sparked everything from conspiracy theories to predictions from the Republican ticket in 2028.
‘NO ONE WILL EVER REPLACE CHARLIE,’ BUT DID SHE JUST SOFT-LAUNCH JD VANCE?
In front of a sea of over 5,000 spectators, the ‘Voice’ star delivered an emotional yet very composed performance. She played back Charlie’s voice and wore clothing inspired by him as a small act of honoring his legacy.
But it was her words that made the headlines:
“No one will ever replace Charlie, but I do see some similarities of my husband in JD, Vice President JD Vance.”
Cue the collective gasp heard on political twitter. In minutes, the hashtag #ErikaAndJD became a trend, and the event quickly went from a political rally to the premiere of ‘House of Cards’ Season VII– ‘MAGA Edition’!
AMERICA’S NEW FAVORITE DRAMA: ‘THE VP, THE WIDOW, AND THE HAIR TOUCH
When the photos of the embrace made it back to X (formerly Twitter), the reaction was a storm of posts, and what may have started as a possible statement of solidarity became the biggest scandal since hand-holding in the Reagan administration.
A poster summarized the hectic online creativity thus:
‘JD Vance will divorce his Indian wife, disassociate from his family, marry the widow of Charlie Kirk, and run for the 2028 presidential election in the United States.’
Others went darker:
“Boy, wait until the truth comes out about Erika Kirk, folks are gonna be mind blown! Poor Charlie just found out who he was really married to! These people are among the weirdest group of folks ever! I feel for JD’s wife 🫣”
And then came the frame-by-frame examination of the hug, the hand in the hair, the lingering gaze, and the body language that the politically attentive Twitterati have been dissecting, much like the Zapruder film.
“Obviously, this is speculative, but on what planet did they think this public display was appropriate? Yikes all around.”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Not new, either, although it’s pretty deep for her to be so comfortable reaching her hands into his hair like this.”
‘’Touching the head of a married man like that, it’s diabolical work,’’
‘‘I don’t speak maga,’’ Patricia wrote, ‘‘but you don’t run your fingers through a man’s hair and hold them like THAT unless there’s intimacy involved.’’
“Erika Kirk didn’t waste any time. Poor Charlie.”
