In the wake of his untimely passing, Charlie Kirk’s vision for the future of Turning Point USA has been swiftly realized. This past Wednesday, his wife, Erika Kirk, was officially elected as the organization’s new chief executive and chair of the board, stepping into a pivotal leadership role.
Following her husband’s death last week, Mrs. Kirk delivered her inaugural public address, vowing to significantly bolster the organization’s mission. She assured her audience that the influential campus tours would continue, with even more planned for the years ahead, and that Mr. Kirk’s popular radio and podcast shows would forge onward.
“I’ll make Turning Point USA the biggest thing that this nation has ever seen,” she declared with conviction. “I promise.”
For many years, while alongside Mr. Kirk, Mrs. Kirk consistently championed the belief that marriage and motherhood should take precedence over career aspirations. At a Turning Point event in 2021, she famously stated that “Boss babe culture is completely antithetical to the gospel.” More recently, in June, during a women’s leadership summit, she was present as her husband conveyed to the audience that every woman should “submit to a godly man.”
Mrs. Kirk joins a growing cohort of influential conservative women who are carving out significant public careers while simultaneously advocating for a distinct message: encouraging young women to prioritize marriage and family life over a public-facing career. This perspective is gaining substantial traction at political events, across popular partisan podcasts, and on highly-followed Instagram accounts.
To many observers, this messaging can appear almost like an optical illusion—initially presenting one political stance, only for the perspective to shift and reveal an entirely different underlying message.
American women have historically navigated this challenging dichotomy. In her notable work, “Right-Wing Women,” feminist author Andrea Dworkin chronicled her experience at the National Women’s Conference in Houston in November 1977, amidst the fervent debate surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment. She noted that nearby, the staunch anti-feminist figure Phyllis Schlafly was simultaneously hosting her own opposing convention. Dworkin characterized Schlafly as “that rare woman of any ideological persuasion who really does see herself as one of the boys.”
Dworkin further suggested that Schlafly’s ambition was likely to leverage women as a political base to gain access to the highest ranks of right-wing male leadership. Interestingly, some of Dworkin’s own books have seen a resurgence this year, finding a new readership among Gen Z.
Conversely, Ms. Schlafly contended that feminist leaders were inadvertently fostering a victim mentality among women. She famously stated, “Self-imposed victimhood is not a recipe for happiness.”
Today’s “womanosphere,” a collection of right-leaning podcasts aimed at young women—serving as a parallel to the “manosphere”—is populated with numerous figures who echo Schlafly’s ethos.
For example, Katie Miller, wife of former Trump aide Stephen Miller, stepped down from her position as Elon Musk’s Washington operative to launch a podcast, where she promised listeners a primary focus on wellness and parenting over politics. Similarly, Jessica Reed Kraus transitioned her personal narratives on motherhood into a significant role within the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which has gained influence within the Trump administration via Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Another prominent voice is Brett Cooper, a new personality at Fox News. At a Turning Point USA event in June, she shared her decision to reduce her popular YouTube show from ten episodes weekly to just two. She openly admitted this would cap her earning potential but allowed her to prioritize life around her impending son. This announcement was met with enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Ms. Cooper skillfully balanced advocating for a traditional wife lifestyle with critiquing aspects of it, urging her followers to pursue meaningful work while also expressing her belief that feminism oversold the importance of career to women.
Ms. Cooper recounted to the enthusiastic crowd, “I’ve been on tour, and after every show, during our meet and greet, I’ve had the chance to meet truly incredible young women—some even my age—who are already stay-at-home mothers with multiple children.” She added, “Just recently, a young woman shared that she left medical school to pursue a job and career that would provide the flexibility necessary to raise the family she envisioned.”
Echoing this sentiment, Alex Clark, host of Turning Point USA’s “Culture Apothecary” podcast, shared in an interview that she would readily trade her considerable professional accomplishments for a husband and children.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve achieved—I’ve had the privilege of doing amazing things, like testifying at the Senate with R.F.K.,” stated Ms. Clark, whose show consistently ranks among the top health podcasts and whose fans eagerly seek selfies with her. She continued, “I would relinquish all of it tomorrow. If given the choice between keeping my accomplishments or having a marriage and children, I would unequivocally choose marriage and kids. Goodbye to the rest.”
Mrs. Kirk is scheduled to deliver her first major public address as the new head of the organization her husband established, a poignant moment set against the somber backdrop of Mr. Kirk’s funeral this Sunday.
Shortly after her husband’s death, she shared a powerful message with her six million Instagram followers: “They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife.”