Erika Kirk triggered a wave of online reactions after an apparent slip of the tongue at a Turning Point USA event. She briefly used the word “grift” while honoring her late husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
This moment occurred while Kirk recognized a student during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Saturday. As she praised the student’s resilience, she mentioned her husband’s legacy but stumbled over her words in a line that quickly went viral.
“Despite the devastating loss of Charlie Kirk, my incredible husband, Caleb has persisted with the same grift, gift, grit. It has been a long day,” Kirk said, correcting herself mid-sentence.
She then tried to smooth over the moment while speaking directly to the student.
“Trust me, you’re not a grifter, honey,” she added. “It’s all good.”
Clips of the exchange spread rapidly on X and other platforms within hours. Influencer Shadow of Ezra posted that “Erika Kirk had an incredible slip of the tongue moment when honoring an honor student.” Another account, The Millennial Snowflake, called it the “Freudian slip of the century.”
The moment happened during AmericaFest, Turning Point USA’s annual conference that attracts thousands of conservative activists, influencers, and elected officials. This year’s gathering gained more attention after Charlie Kirk’s death and the leadership changes that followed.
Erika Kirk took on a more prominent public role after her husband was fatally shot in September while speaking at Utah Valley University. The shocking moment spread on social media and a suspect, Tyler Robinson, is in custody after his parents turned him in.
Erika Kirk had an incredible slip of the tongue moment when honoring an honor student. pic.twitter.com/a8VSZf38wg
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) December 21, 2025
Turning Point USA announced earlier this fall that Erika Kirk would take over as CEO of the organization after Charlie Kirk’s death, placing her at the center of one of the country’s most influential conservative youth groups.
At AmericaFest, she was featured as one of the conference’s main speakers, discussing the organization’s direction and Charlie Kirk’s legacy while addressing supporters who saw the event as both a political gathering and a memorial.
During her remarks, Erika Kirk also publicly supported Vice President JD Vance as a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election. She told attendees she wanted Turning Point USA to help elect him as the next president after Trump. This endorsement was widely covered as a significant early signal in post-2024 Republican politics.
Vance, a close ally of Turning Point, was expected to appear during the conference as speakers and activists focused on Trump-era policy goals and midterm strategies.
AmericaFest also drew attention for how it honored Charlie Kirk at the venue. Coverage highlighted conference displays tied to his legacy, as organizers embraced tributes that combined politics and remembrance.
For Erika Kirk, the viral slip came during a busy stretch of appearances and onstage duties, including speeches, introductions, and comments honoring supporters. She herself recognized the pace in real-time, attributing the moment to fatigue when she told the crowd, “it has been a long day.”
Critics of Charlie Kirk were quick to seize on the moment to catch the algorithm in the political social media landscape of scoring points on the other side.
